The government has decided that from Wednesday I should be banned from social media because of the potential harm it can cause. But as a teenager with a severe disability who relies on social media for connection, community and access to a largely inaccessible world, this policy actually has the potential to create further harm.
When I was 12, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which triggered a rare nerve condition that has paralysed me. My preteen years were spent in an ICU ward, on a ventilator, going through chemotherapy. Before I got sick I did not have any social media. It turned out that all I had to do was end up in a coma, because when I woke, I had a new iPhone 14 with every accessibility feature. Having Instagram and Snapchat made me feel less disconnected. I had a window into the outside world, and my friends had a window into my world between hospital visits.
