Why Banning Social Media for Teens Could Backfire on Construction Recruitment

The debate around social media restrictions for under-16s has focused on safety and well-being, but there's another critical angle: career discovery. For construction, this is a workforce, housing, and economic growth issue.

Recent CIOB research found social media is now one of the most influential factors shaping young people's career decisions. In their 2026 Attitudes to Construction Careers survey, 32% cited it as a significant influence, up from 26% in 2025, ranking behind only family and ahead of friends and schools.

This trend isn't unique to construction. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry found more than one in three young people have used social media to inform a career decision. A global survey by DeWalt and WorldSkills International found 44% of young trade professionals said social media inspired their career choice.

For many young people, careers advice now comes from watching people online doing jobs they can relate to—an apprentice documenting a day on site, or a site manager showcasing a project. This can make a career feel more tangible than any leaflet or presentation.

This matters because construction has historically struggled to reach young people through traditional channels. CIOB's research found 45% of young people felt construction careers were not covered in their school careers advice, while 44% of parents felt under-informed about modern career options.

Skills shortages begin much earlier than when someone leaves school: when a young person never hears about a profession, when parents have outdated perceptions, and when construction isn't part of the conversation.

Nowhere is this more relevant than housing. The government has placed housing delivery at the centre of its growth agenda. Whether building 1.5 million homes, improving existing stock, decarbonising homes, or tackling the repairs backlog, none of these objectives can be achieved without a skilled workforce.

Housing associations and local authorities are already competing for skilled workers in retrofit, maintenance, repairs, building safety, and new build development. Yet construction faces a demographic challenge: a significant proportion of the workforce is approaching retirement age, while the pipeline of new entrants remains insufficient.

If fewer young people are exposed to construction careers during their formative years, the consequences may not be immediate but will be felt years down the line when employers struggle to recruit apprentices and skilled workers.

Social media is not a complete solution, and there are legitimate questions about how platforms shape what young people see. But if restrictions are introduced, what replaces the role social media currently plays in career discovery?

Government will need to fill any gap through stronger careers services, greater employer engagement in schools, targeted campaigns for sectors facing skills shortages, and direct engagement with parents. The construction sector must also become more intentional about using social media to create engaging, accurate content that reflects the breadth of opportunities in the built environment.

Ultimately, if social media has become a key way young people discover construction careers, and we restrict access to it, we need to think carefully about what comes next. At a time when the country seeks to build more homes and address critical skills shortages, few sectors have a greater stake in getting that answer right than housing.