Social media ban, Flower farmers, OnlyFans

The BBC's Woman's Hour tackles three urgent, interconnected stories about technology, labor, and care in modern Britain. First, the government's announcement of a ban on under-16s using social media—framed as a public health intervention to combat addiction, bullying, and sleep deprivation—sparks debate over whether a blanket ban is effective or merely reactive. Experts and parents weigh in, highlighting the irony that while social media is blamed for harm, it also enables connection, learning, and even academic support. The episode questions whether removing access will truly help, or simply push teens to riskier platforms, especially when parents lack the tools to guide healthy digital habits. The second story exposes the dark underbelly of OnlyFans, where women creators are exploited by third-party managers who demand up to 70% of earnings, control their accounts, and threaten violence when they try to leave. Rebecca, a cancer survivor and single mother, recounts being coerced into explicit content, threatened with physical harm, and assaulted after quitting her agency—revealing how financial desperation can trap women in abusive systems. The documentary 'OnlyFans Inside the Machine' underscores a systemic failure: platforms profit while ignoring the exploitation of creators, and regulators like Ofcom can’t act on offline threats.