Technology can enrich children’s lives, and the digital world can be used to learn, explore, and create. However, I know that many parents, families, professionals, and children’s organisations are deeply concerned about the relationship that children have with social media and their phones, and the impact that this has on their mental health and wellbeing.
I share these concerns, and that is why I support the Government’s decision to launch a three-month consultation into children’s social media use, including exploring the option of banning it entirely for children under a certain age. The consultation will also look at implementing a phone curfew to restrict excessive use of mobile phones and examine addictive design features such as ‘infinite scrolling’ and ‘streaks’. The results will be evidence-led, and Ministers have said they will speak to parents, tech companies, and young people themselves.
The consultation, and any measures introduced following it, will build upon the steps already taken by the Government to protect children online.
The Online Safety Act has given the UK some of the most robust online safety laws in the world, keeping children safer and illegal content off people’s screens. Under the Act, services likely to be accessed by children must protect them from harmful content. This must be done by, for example, removing illegal content quickly or preventing it from appearing at all, preventing children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content, enforcing age limits and using age-checking measures on platforms where content harmful to children is published. Ofcom, which enforces the Act, has already taken action against companies that have not complied, including issuing a £1 million fine to an adult website for failing to use proper age checks.
We are also taking action to make sure all schools are mobile phone-free environments by default. Earlier this year, the Department for Education published new guidance on mobile phone usage in schools, which makes it clear that pupils should not be using their mobile phones throughout the school day. This includes during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime. Previous guidance on this matter did not provide enough clarity or consistency for schools, so I am glad this Government has decided to strengthen it.
Ministers have also completed a study into the effects of smartphone and social media use on children. Existing research showed that teenagers who spent more time on social media had poorer mental health. The policy response on online safety for children must be evidence based and informed by research. I hope this study will help to ensure our laws are delivering safer spaces online.
We need to have a national conversation on how to best protect children online, and I want to make sure that the views of Reading Central constituents are heard. I would be grateful if you could share your thoughts on this important topic in my survey by visiting https://mattroddamp.com/social-media-minimum-age
I support the work that is already being done on this important issue, however, it is clear that we still need to build on this progress. I am pleased that the Government is committed to taking action, in a way that is driven by the evidence and commands widespread support.
Matt Rodda is Labour MP for Reading Central
