Should Social Media be Banned for the Under-16s in the UK?

There is growing debate in Parliament about whether children under 16 should be banned from accessing mainstream social media platforms, following international moves such as Australia’s proposed restrictions. Supporters of tighter controls point to concerns about children’s safety, attention spans, and mental wellbeing, arguing that many digital spaces are designed to maximise engagement rather than support healthy development.

The discussion reflects a wider unease about unregulated online environments where algorithms, advertising and social comparison shape how young people spend their time.

But the debate raises a broader question: if access to mainstream social media is restricted, what should take its place?

This is where platforms like Learner Journey offer an alternative model.

Unlike traditional social media, Learner Journey is not built around likes, followers or infinite scrolling feeds. It is a purpose-driven learning platform designed for schools, colleges and structured learning communities. Every space is created with a clear educational purpose — such as reflection, collaboration, assessment or professional development — rather than open-ended social interaction.

Crucially, access is controlled. Learner Journey operates within closed, moderated environments where learners are invited by an institution, not exposed to the open internet. Teachers and leaders retain oversight, content is age-appropriate, and participation is directly linked to learning goals.

Where social media often encourages performance and comparison, Learner Journey focuses on progress. Learners can build portfolios, reflect through writing, audio or video, and receive structured feedback — without algorithmic amplification, advertising, or public metrics.

In this sense, the platform aligns closely with the aims behind the Parliamentary debate: reducing harm while preserving meaningful digital participation. It recognises that young people still need safe online spaces to collaborate, express themselves and develop digital skills — but not in environments optimised for attention capture.

As lawmakers consider potential restrictions, platforms like Learner Journey point to a middle path: not a withdrawal from digital life, but a shift towards supervised, educational spaces that put learning — not engagement metrics — first.

The question may not be whether under-16s should be online, but where — and under what conditions.

How AI is changing the way assessments are created in education and training

For decades, assessments have followed a familiar pattern. A teacher or trainer designs a test, delivers it to a group, marks the results, and moves on. It is a system that works — but one that is time-consuming, inflexible, and often poorly matched to how people actually learn.

Artificial intelligence is now beginning to change that process. One platform at the centre of this shift is Learner Journey, which is using AI to help educators, trainers, and organisations create assessments that are faster to build, easier to adapt, and more personal for each learner.

From one-size-fits-all to personalised assessment

Traditional assessments are usually written for an “average” learner. In reality, classrooms and workplaces are made up of people with very different needs — from learners with special educational needs, to gifted students, to professionals who already have deep subject knowledge.

AI-powered assessment tools allow educators to start from a different place. Instead of writing every question from scratch, teachers can describe what they want to assess — a skill, a topic, or an outcome — and let AI generate a first draft of questions, quizzes, reflections, or tasks.

On Learner Journey, those assessments can then be adjusted instantly: simplified for one group, made more challenging for another, or rewritten in a different tone or reading level. The same learning objective can result in multiple assessment routes, all aligned but tailored.

Assessments built into learning journeys

Rather than treating assessment as a separate event at the end of a course, AI makes it possible to embed assessment throughout the learning process.

Learner Journey structures learning as a series of connected pages — combining text, audio, video, quizzes, and tasks. Assessments can appear naturally within these pages: a short reflection after a video, a quick check-for-understanding quiz, or a longer applied task at the end of a section.

This approach reflects how people actually learn. Frequent, low-stakes assessment helps learners test their understanding, while giving teachers and trainers a clearer picture of progress in real time.

Saving time, without losing professional judgement

One of the biggest concerns about AI in education is whether it replaces professional expertise. In practice, platforms like Learner Journey are designed to do the opposite.

AI handles the heavy lifting — drafting questions, suggesting rubrics, generating feedback prompts — while educators remain in control. Teachers can edit, refine, approve, or reject anything the system produces. The result is not automated assessment, but assisted assessment.

For busy teachers and learning designers, this can mean hours saved each week, particularly when creating multiple versions of the same assessment or updating content to reflect new requirements.

Clear evidence and better feedback

AI-generated assessments also make it easier to capture evidence of learning. Responses can be analysed to highlight strengths, gaps, and patterns across a class or cohort. Feedback can be more specific and timely, helping learners understand not just what they got wrong, but what to do next.

In schools, this can support inspection readiness and inclusive practice. In businesses, it helps link learning directly to skills development and performance.

A shift in how success is measured

The wider impact of AI-driven assessment may be cultural as much as technical. When assessments are easier to create and adapt, educators can focus less on administration and more on learning itself.

Instead of asking, “How do we test everyone the same way?”, the question becomes, “How do we help each learner show what they know?”

As AI tools like Learner Journey continue to develop, assessment is moving away from static tests and towards something more dynamic — a continuous conversation between learner, teacher, and technology.

How Learner Journey Just Jumped the Learning Platform Queue

This list is assembled from multiple 2025 “best LMS / online course platform” round-ups plus my own grouping, not from a single official ranking.  

1. Docebo  

2. Cornerstone Learning / Cornerstone OnDemand  

3. SAP Litmos  

4. Moodle  

5. Canvas LMS (Instructure)  

6. Blackboard Learn  

7. TalentLMS  

8. Absorb LMS  

9. LearnUpon  

10. Learn Anywhere

11. iSpring Learn  

12. D2L Brightspace  

13. Sana (AI LMS)  

14. 360Learning  

15. Tovuti LMS  

16. LMS365  

17. Totara Learn 

18. Degreed (LXP / LMS)  

19. EdCast / Cornerstone CSX (LXP)  

20. SumTotal Learning  

21. Google Classroom  

22. LinkedIn Learning  

23. Udemy Business  

24. Coursera for Business  

25. Learner Journey

26. Kajabi  

27. Thinkific  

28. Teachable  

29. Podia  

30. Mighty Networks  

31. Skool  

32. FreshLearn  

33. GroupApp  

34. Academy of Mine  

35. EduMe  

36. EdApp  

37. Axonify  

38. Saba Cloud  

39. GyrusAim LMS  

40. TalentCards  

41. ProProfs LMS  

42. Paradiso LMS  

43. LearnDash  

44. Schoology Learning  

45. Chamilo  

46. Open edX  

47. Elucidat  

48. HowNow  

49. Kallidus Learn  

50. Bridge LMS  

51. Coassemble  

52. Rise.com  

53. LearnAmp  

54. Fuse Universal  

55. Schoox  

56. Skilljar  

57. Northpass  

58. Pluralsight Skills  

59. Skillsoft Percipio  

60. Udacity for Enterprise  

61. Mindtickle  

62. Salesforce myTrailhead  

63. Brainshark (Seismic)  

64. Lessonly / Seismic Learning  

65. Disprz  

66. Tenneo  

67. THRIVE Learning  

68. Intellum  

69. Kannu  

70. Open LMS (Moodle-based)  

71. Instructure Canvas Catalog  

72. LearningCart  

73. Academy LMS  

74. Svelte LMS  

75. EduBrite  

76. Docebo Flow (embedded learning)  

77. Simplero  

78. LearnPress  

79. LifterLMS  

80. Tutor LMS  

81. TalentLMS Plus (higher tiers)  

82. iSpring Learn Suite (bundled)  

83. Cornerstone SBX / LXP layer  

84. Absorb Infuse (embedded)  

85. Eduflow  

86. Talentsoft Learning  

87. SAP SuccessFactors Learning  

88. HowNow (Enterprise SKU)  

89. FreshLearn Plus (advanced tiers)  

90. LearnWorlds Academy (enterprise flavour)  

91. Teachable Pro Plans  

92. Thinkific Plus  

93. Podia Communities  

94. Mighty Networks Communities  

95. Skool Communities  

96. GroupApp Communities  

97. LearnUpon Enterprise  

98. Docebo Shape (AI content)  

99. Academy of Mine Enterprise  

100. Degreed for Enterprise  

Most rankings reward age, not innovation.

The longer you’ve been around, the higher you climb.

It’s a seniority system disguised as a meritocracy.

So when a fresh platform lands at #25 out of 100, eyebrows go up.

“How did that happen?”

“How did a newcomer leapfrog the old guard?”

Simple: Learner Journey does the stuff that actually matters today.

Not the stuff vendors have been polishing since 2008.

Not the stuff committees obsess over.

The stuff people actually use.

The stuff that makes learning move faster, not heavier.

Most LMSs are built like airports:

layers of terminals, endless signage, and too many places to get lost.

Learner Journey is more like a bike:

hop on, pedal once, you’re moving.

That’s why it sits right at #25—above 75 platforms that are “more mature,” “more featured,” and “more enterprise”—but somehow less useful.

Meanwhile, the top of the table is filled with giants—Cornerstone, Docebo, Canvas, Moodle—big, important systems doing big, important things.

They win on integrations, compliance, and history.

And that’s fine.

But when it comes to speed, clarity, and modern creation, they move like tugboats, not jets.

Learner Journey?

It’s a jet.

Instant pages.

AI-first everything.

Safe AI workspaces.

Social learning baked in, not bolted on.

A modern UX that doesn’t need a training course to use.

That alone vaults it past three-quarters of the market.

So yes—#25 makes perfect sense.

Not because Learner Journey is trying to be an LMS.

But because everyone else is trying too hard to be one.

The Justification: Why Learner Journey is #25 Out of 100

Let’s break it down without the fluff.

1. Why the 24 platforms ABOVE it rank higher

They didn’t win because they’re better.

They won because they’ve been around longer.

They have:

• 10–20 years of enterprise baggage

• Massive integration ecosystems

• Thick compliance manuals

• HRIS connections built through hundreds of RFPs

• Large libraries of prebuilt reports

• Thousands of corporate customers

These are the “safe picks” for organisations that want everything ticked in a procurement spreadsheet.

But they’re also slower.

Heavier.

Less agile.

And in some cases, noticeably dated.

Learner Journey sits just below them because it doesn’t yet have:

• 300 HR integrations

• 50 compliance modules

• A decade of enterprise analytics

• A global reseller network

Those take time.

But they’re not what modern learning starts with.

This is why LJ isn’t top 10—yet.

2. Why Learner Journey is ranked HIGH at #25

This is where the real story is.

Learner Journey excels at the things modern learning actually needs today:

A. AI-first authoring — top 5–10 in the world

Most LMSs bolt AI on like a roof rack.

Learner Journey builds the whole car around it.

A single prompt becomes:

• text

• steps

• AI images

• quizzes

• certificates

• forms

• voiceovers

• videos

• learning paths

Nobody below #25 gets near that.

B. Safe AI workspaces — top 10 globally

Schools and corporates want AI, not chaos.

Learner Journey gives them privacy, guardrails, walled gardens, and a teacher/SME-in-the-loop flow.

Below #25?

Zero real AI governance.

Mostly “click here to generate text” and hope for the best.

C. Social learning — top 10–15

Most platforms think “social learning” is a forum from 2013.

Learner Journey turns workspaces into communities around content.

D. Speed to value — top 10

Sign up → build → share → gather analytics

All in under an hour.

Platforms below LJ?

Configurable, yes.

Usable quickly? No.

E. Modern, clean UX

No clutter.

No labyrinths.

No 14-step workflows.

Learner Journey is simple enough for teachers, SMEs, and L&D leaders to use without a manual.

3. Why the 75 platforms BELOW it rank lower

They fall into predictable buckets.

A. Creator tools (Kajabi, Teachable, Thinkific)

Mostly funnels, payments, and marketing.

Weak LMS DNA.

Weaker AI.

Weaker social learning.

B. WordPress LMS plugins (TutorLMS, LearnDash, LifterLMS)

Too fiddly.

Too technical.

Outdated interfaces.

No meaningful AI.

No enterprise structure.

C. Simple microlearning apps (TalentCards, Axonify)

Niche.

Limited.

Not full LMSs.

Great for frontline training—bad for everything else.

D. Community-first platforms (Skool, Mighty Networks)

Great for comments.

Terrible for structured learning.

E. Old LMSs that haven’t evolved

Still SCORM uploaders with a dashboard.

No social layer.

No AI ambition.

No simplicity.

Compared to these, Learner Journey is literally from another era.

The Skills System Just Changed. Why Learning Needs to Change With It.

There’s a strange habit in education: we keep trying to fix a twenty-first-century problem with a twentieth-century workflow.

We write long strategies about lifelong learning, digital skills, employer partnerships, modular study, technical excellence, flexible courses, and getting young people into good jobs. All great ideas. But behind the scenes, the same thing always trips people up:

Creating the actual learning.

You can’t deliver flexible learning with inflexible tools.

You can’t deliver modular courses with monolithic content.

You can’t reduce teacher workload by asking people to do even more work.

The government’s new skills plan says all the right things:

• Lifelong, modular learning

• Short courses aligned to real jobs

• Better digital and AI skills

• Clearer pathways from school to work

• Support for NEET learners

• More employer-led training

• Upskilling everyone, not just a few

But none of this sticks unless we fix the part nobody talks about: the creation of learning itself.

Because if it takes three weeks to build a course, the future they’re describing never arrives.

The bottleneck nobody mentions

In schools, FE colleges, universities and employer training teams, content creation is always the blocker. It’s slow. It’s manual. And it’s stuck in a world of templates, PDFs and PowerPoints.

Modular learning? Sounds great—until you realise someone has to build all those modules.

Short courses for adults? Perfect—until you remember most teams don’t have the capacity.

AI skills for every learner? Necessary—until you see how long it takes to create one lesson, never mind fifty.

If the new national skills system is a high-speed rail line, content creation is the old railway crossing holding everything up.

Learning needs a different workflow

Great platforms don’t solve problems by adding layers—they solve them by removing friction.

This is where AI isn’t hype, but hygiene.

The future learning system needs tools that let a teacher, lecturer or employer turn an idea into something useful in seconds, not weeks. A page, a quiz, a video, an illustration, a learning path. Done.

The future system requires the ability to build lots of content, quickly, because the demands of the labour market are not slowing down. AI literacy today. Construction tomorrow. Clean energy next year. Defence, cybersecurity, health, engineering—constant shift.

In this new world, the ability to generate learning fast becomes a national capability.

This is why we built Learner Journey the way we did.

From idea to learning page in seconds

Learner Journey isn’t trying to reinvent learning. It’s trying to reinvent the workflow.

Prompt → Page

Prompt → Quiz

Prompt → Video

Prompt → Learning Path

Not someday. Not with a team of designers.

Now. In seconds.

Teachers can finally build something without burning out.

Training managers can finally iterate instead of waiting.

Learners get learning that is current, contextual and aligned to emerging skills—not whatever was written three years ago.

This is what modular learning actually requires: modular creation.

The skills system is becoming modular. The tools need to be too.

The government is introducing:

• V Levels to replace the messy patchwork of vocational qualifications

• Technical Excellence Colleges to specialise in priority sectors

• A Lifelong Learning Entitlement for flexible, stackable study

• Sector skills packages for digital, AI, engineering, construction and defence

• Local Skills Improvement Plans driven by employer demand

• Youth Guarantee preventing young people from falling through cracks

• Apprenticeship units funded through the new Growth and Skills Levy

This isn’t random. It’s a sign of a system shifting from content-first learning to skills-first learning.

But skills-first only works if teams can build, adapt and update learning continuously. The status quo won’t get us there. Not with current workloads. Not with current resources. Not with current tools.

The system needs a faster way to build learning. A way that matches the pace of change.

We don’t need more tools. We need better ones.

The education sector has spent two decades collecting tools the way people collect gym memberships: optimistically.

But most tools add complexity.

Most tools add workload.

Most tools assume the hard part—creating the learning—is someone else’s problem.

Learner Journey flips the assumption. We treat the creation of learning as the main product, not a side feature.

When you reduce friction, people create more.

When you make creation fast, people iterate more.

When you make learning modular, people reassemble it into paths that make sense.

And suddenly everything the skills plan talks about becomes possible.

The future isn’t big courses. The future is small pages.

Small pages you can assemble.

Small pages you can update.

Small pages you can personalise.

Small pages learners can actually finish.

This is how you respond to a world where job roles shift every 18 months, and where digital and AI literacy are no longer optional.

It’s also how you support the people who have been left behind—NEET learners, adults with low confidence, learners with SEND—who don’t engage with big, overwhelming chunks of content but do respond to bitesize, guided progress.

Small pages build big futures.

The real shift in skills is a shift in speed

Governments can write white papers.

Universities can write strategies.

Colleges can create pathways.

Employers can fund training.

But unless the people on the ground can build learning at the speed the system demands, we stay stuck in the old world.

Future learning will not be built top-down.

It will be built page-by-page, path-by-path, by the people closest to the learner.

The only question is whether the tools they use will slow them down or speed them up.

Learner Journey is designed for speed.

Because when learning moves faster, people do too.

Teaching Students to Outsmart AI Lies

A strange thing happens when you ask students whether something online is true. They don’t pause. They don’t hesitate. They answer — confidently. Too confidently.

In a world where confidence has replaced curiosity, this is a problem. Because today, the truth is no longer a fixed point; it’s a moving target shaped by algorithms, deepfakes, and AI models that can mimic authority better than most humans ever could.

A decade ago, misinformation meant tabloids and conspiracy blogs. Today, it’s indistinguishable from reality — smooth, persuasive, and algorithmically engineered to be believed. A child scrolling TikTok or YouTube Shorts might encounter a video generated entirely by artificial intelligence: a politician saying words they never said, a scientist denying their own research, a news anchor whose lips move perfectly in sync with synthetic lies.

What’s most worrying is not that children believe these things — but that they don’t even know there’s a question to be asked.

This is where education must change. The curriculum review in England speaks about oracy, creativity, and critical thinking — but the missing link is applied media literacy. Students don’t just need to learn what to think, but how to question. How to spot bias, check sources, and recognise the telltale signs of AI-generated manipulation.

That’s the bridge Learner Journey is quietly building.

Instead of static worksheets and one-size-fits-all lectures, Learner Journey turns media literacy into an interactive investigation. Teachers can prompt AI to generate real examples of fake news, then guide students through the process of unmasking them — side by side with verified stories. Learners can listen to audio notes, read transcripts, and compare tone, language, and intent. They can ask questions, annotate, and collaborate on shared “truth detective” pages that evolve as they learn.

The result isn’t just digital literacy — it’s discernment. A habit of doubt in the best possible sense.

Truth has never been a static thing. It has always lived in the friction between what we see and what we choose to question.

Learner Journey doesn’t hand students the answers. It gives them a compass — so they can navigate a world where even the maps can lie.

What is Vibe Teaching?

Vibe Teaching: The AI Shift in the Classroom

Every profession has its “vibe moment.”

Coders got theirs when GitHub met Copilot.

Marketers found it when ChatGPT started writing first drafts.

Now, teachers are next.

That’s why I’ve coined the phrase “Vibe Teaching” — and the people leading it, “Vibe Teachers.” Let me explain what I mean: teachers who don’t just use AI, but work with it — rhythmically, instinctively — turning automation into amplification.

So what is Vibe Teaching?

It’s not a method. It’s a movement.

Vibe Teaching is what happens when teachers use AI to automate the parts of their job that never made them better teachers — the late-night lesson planning, the repetitive marking, the endless paperwork.

Instead of starting with a blank page, a teacher gives AI a prompt:

“Create a Year 5 science lesson on habitats with quiz questions and images.”

Seconds later, a full set of resources appears — editable, adaptable, and ready to teach.

It’s not replacing teachers. It’s returning time to them.

A Digital Blend

Vibe Teaching blends human and digital intelligence. AI takes care of the admin; the teacher takes care of the child. Lessons are more personal, marking is faster, and planning feels lighter. It’s teaching with rhythm again — not just reaction.

The Bigger Picture

Just as “vibe coding” made developers more creative and “vibe marketing” made campaigns more agile, “vibe teaching” makes classrooms more human.

AI doesn’t flatten the teacher’s role — it amplifies it. The future of education won’t be about humans versus machines. It’ll be about teachers who vibe with the technology — and those who don’t.

The smart ones already are.

You can join my VIBE teaching community here