Social media is causing division between men and women in many nations around the world, with echo chambers and misinformation being the driving force to a new age of divergence. However, hope is not lost. In response, the Government should ensure more transparency on social media.
In the UK, women aged 18–30 are now 30% more liberal than their male counterparts, with similar trends observed across Europe, particularly in Germany. Meanwhile, in the US, Gallup data shows a comparable pattern of divergence between young men and women. This widening ideological gap is deeply concerning, as it fuels political polarisation, undermines social cohesion and strains personal relationships: from friendships to family ties and even romantic partnerships.
Alongside growing divergence within political beliefs, there is an increasing divide over which issues different groups even engage with. For example, in response to the grooming gang scandal, which centred on the abuse of underage white girls in Rotherham by gangs of primarily British-Pakistani men, nearly half of Reform UK voters reported having heard about the story, compared to just 10% of Labour or Liberal Democrat voters. This fragmentation of experience is deeply concerning, as it means people are not only drawing different conclusions but are also starting from entirely different sets of facts and premises. When people are effectively operating in separate informational worlds, meaningful compromise becomes far more difficult and so the risk of societal polarisation grows ever greater. The significance of misinformation should not be undermined. Research suggests that American voters are less ideologically polarised than they believe. Recognising and understanding these divides is the essential first step toward addressing them.
A growing reliance on social media as a news source is a key reason for this. Social media usage is at its highest ever, and within the last year, there have been 178 million new users worldwide. In 2024, 52% of UK adults use social media for news – while this remains below the 70% share of UK adults who get their news from traditional television, the gap is steadily closing. Among younger audiences, social media is now the dominant news source, with platforms like TikTok and Instagram seeing the fastest growth.
Unfortunately, the nature of social media algorithms fuels social and political polarisation. To become as addictive as possible, they are designed to serve up more of what users like, based on their viewing history and to favour controversial posts. The result of this engagement strategy is the creation of echo chambers. Unlike traditional media, these are environments where a person is only exposed to information and opinions that reinforce their existing views, ignoring and discrediting alternative perspectives. For example, if someone already doubts immigration policies, someone’s feed might continuously show them negative stories about immigration, amplifying their fear or anger.
As well as reinforcing existing opinions, social media algorithms also have the effect of demonising the other side. Without exposure to alternative perspectives, opposing views seem not just wrong but dangerous or malicious. This creates an ‘us vs them’ mentality, which is extremely dangerous in terms of worsening divergence.
Despite this, there are solutions that can be implemented to tackle the problem.
To equip the next generation, it is imperative the national curriculum should be amended effectively to accommodate classes on social media. While the new Labour Government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report does acknowledge the “renewed focus on digital and media literacy” and highlights that these areas are essential to help young people navigate a rapidly changing world, it does not go far enough in addressing the issue of social media specifically. The references to digital skills are broad, focusing mostly on digital literacy and safe use of technology under general themes of computing and RSHE (relationships, sex, and health education). While it mentions media literacy, there is no detailed engagement with the specific risks and challenges posed by social media.
The curriculum should specifically educate pupils about how algorithms work and the dangers of echo chambers and misinformation. Teaching children the importance of actively seeking out and listening to differing perspectives can help to steer them away from echo chambers. As Vivikka Richt, Director of Communications in Finland’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Health argues, “providing media literacy education” is a key measure needed to reduce the harms caused by overreliance on social media for formulating opinions.
As well as providing education on algorithms, the curriculum must also teach pupils about the nature and dangers of disinformation. Disinformation is a complex ecosystem. It’s not just false information; it’s a mix of truth and lies. As Carnegie argues, governments must emphasize media literacy and “prebunking” (inoculating people before they encounter disinformation). The end goal is not to eliminate falsehoods, but to build societal resilience.
While reforming the curriculum will help the upcoming generations navigate the social media landscape, action is also needed to reform the algorithms that fuel polarisation among adults.
Governments can take the initiative to advise and legislate for social media companies to adjust algorithms. This could mean requiring platforms to adjust their algorithms to promote a range of viewpoints, not just those based off someone’s prior viewing history.
Additionally, the central government could mandate that social media platforms show fact-checks alongside trending topics. There is already some precedent for this. During Covid-19, for example, some social media companies displayed misinformation checks on Covid-19 related content. Similar such checks should be further encouraged by government as a potential solution to combatting the significance of social media driven division.
Finally, central government should impose more transparency on social media platforms. Platforms should let users understand and control how content is selected for them. For example, they should give users the option to switch off algorithmic feeds (chronological timelines) to diversify the content presented to them. Moreover, social media platforms should be required to publicise their algorithms. Greater transparency would allow legislators, regulators and the public to better assess how social media platforms function and, in doing so, to demand changes.
With social media, and the disinformation it amplifies, driving ever greater wedges between men and women, left and right, it is essential that central government steps in to prevent further societal fracturing. While improving social media awareness in classrooms and more tightly regulating social media companies may not eliminate all the divisions across society, it will go some way towards preventing further fragmentation.
Rees Burton is a Member of Bright Blue. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Bright Blue.