MPs have written to Keir Starmer urging him to back a social media ban for under-16s, but members of the NSPCC said they don’t support the idea.
Over the weekend, more than 60 Labour MPs, including former frontbenchers, select committee chairs and MPs from the left and right of the party, wrote to the prime minister calling for a social media ban for children aged under 16.
In the letter, which was organised by Fred Thomas, the Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View, MPs explained: ‘Across our constituencies, we hear the same message: children are anxious, unhappy, and unable to focus on learning. They are not building the social skills needed to thrive, nor having the experiences that will prepare them from adulthood.’
Members of the House of Lords are expected to vote this week on whether to introduce the ban through an amendment to the children, wellbeing and schools bill. If the legislation passes, it is expected to come into force within a year.
The amendment currently has backing from Lord Nash, former Conservative education minister, Baroness Benjamin, Liberal Democrat peer and former children’s TV presenter and Baroness Cass, an independent member of the House of Lords, who works as a paediatrician.
Although Keir Starmer has said he is open to the plan, The Guardian has reported that he wants to wait and assess evidence from Australia’s social media ban, which came into force in December.
Last month, more than 4.7 million social media accounts belonging to Australians under the age of 16 were deactivated, removed or restricted. The ban covered 10 platforms, including Twitch, Reddit, X, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Threads, Kick and YouTube.
On Sunday, culture secretary Lisa Nandy, told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that there are ‘strong arguments for banning under-16s from social media but there are also real concerns raised by the NSPCC and others about whether it pushes children to darker, less-regulated places on the internet.’
Chris Sherwood, CEO at the NSPCC, said that while social media can be dangerous, ‘for countless children, especially those who feel shut out or unheard offline, social media isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline – a source of community, identity and vital support.’
‘A blanket ban would take those spaces away overnight and risks driving teenagers into darker, unregulated corners of the internet,’ Sherwood continued. ‘Everyone involved in this debate will have the best interests of children at heart, but children’s fundamental right to participate safelyy in the digital world, to access information, to connect with peers and to have their voices heard must be protected.
‘They should not be stripped of those rights because tech companies have repeatedly failed to build platforms that protect them.’
In similar vein, the NSPCC’s Voice of Online Youth, a group of 14 young people aged 14-17 from across the UK, added: ‘We do not support a complete ban for under-16s on social media. We appreciate that the government wants to tackle the significant risks children face online – but the focus must be on making it safer, not shutting us out of them.
‘As young people, we should not be punished for the dangerous behaviour of other people online. Instead, tech companies should be held accountable for creating safer platforms. This should include better age checks and content moderation, as well as improved parental controls so that parents can support their children as they grow.
‘We’re not saying this because we just want to ‘keep scrolling’. We’re saying it because we know what it’s like to grow up online. Our views come from our experiences, and from what we believe will make the biggest, most positive difference for all children.’
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