A ban on social media could be imposed on children younger than 16-years-old, as MPs discuss a bill aimed at improving smartphone safety.
The Safer Phones Bill, raised by Labour MP Josh MacAlister, calls for the Government to publish a plan for research into the impact social media usage has on children, among other demands.
Writing on the Safer Phones Bill website, MacAlister said: “I’m now hopeful that the Government will back the measures in this Bill on Friday. If they do, it will be the first meaningful step from a UK Government to engage with the widespread impacts of excessive smartphone and social media use by children.
“The Bill commits the Government to come back within a year on the question of raising the digital age of consent from 13 to 16, a change that has recently been made in Norway.
“It commits the Government to instruct the UK Chief Medical Officers to update and reissue guidance for parents and professionals about the impacts of excessive screen time and social media use on children. Recent equivalent advice in the US has transformed the debate in America on this issue.
“Finally, it calls on the Government to conduct more research and further develop the evidence and guidance that is important for future action.”
Initial plans laid out for headteachers to be given legal backing to make schools mobile free and looked to strengthen Ofcom’s powers to prevent children being exposed to addictive apps and services
PA
The private members’ bill has been watered down since its first proposition in October.
Initial plans laid out for headteachers to be given legal backing to make schools mobile free and looked to strengthen Ofcom’s powers to prevent children being exposed to addictive apps and services.
While MacAlister has been praised for his efforts, some have accused the Government of moving too slowly and not doing enough to protect children.
Victoria Collins, the Lib Dem spokeswoman for technology, said: “So far, the Government has made ponderous progress on children’s online safety. I’m disappointed that they’ve seemingly succeeded in pushing for the Safer Phones Bill to be watered down – a bill that had such promise when it was first proposed.
“We’re picking up the baton where the government have dropped it – starting with our amendments to the Data Bill on the digital age of consent. We’ll keep fighting to make sure young people are properly protected.”
Collins’ comments come as the Lib Dems have committed to table an amendment to the Data Bill which would raise the digital age of consent to 16.
According to a survey from think tank The New Britain Project and polling firm More in Common, social media was named as the most negative influence on teenagers’ mental health.
The research, which surveyed over 1,600 16-to-24-year-olds, found that three-quarters of respondents believed stronger rules were needed to protect young people from social media harm.
Luke Tryl, Executive Director at More in Common, said: "Far from feeling empowered by smartphones and social media this research shows that many Gen Z Britons regret the time they spent on their devices and wish they'd waited longer to access social media - so much so they would try and keep their own children off social media for as long as possible - but they personally now feel they would struggle to quit.
"As Parliament votes on the Safer Phones Bill, this research - the most in-depth study into public attitudes on social media and smartphones to date - shows that the demand for the Government to take action to better protect children from the harms of social media spans young Britons, their parents and the public at large, as well as voters for all parties."
A UK Government spokesman said: “Nearly 25 per cent of children and young people use their smartphones in a way that is consistent with a behavioural addiction.”
They added: “The negative impacts of screen time are well documented. Research by the Children’s Commissioner for England found that 79 per cent of children had encountered violent pornography before the age of 18, with the average age that children first see pornography as being 13-years-old.”
Ofcom data indicates that over one-quarter of 3-to-4-year-olds have their own phone, with the proportion increasing to 61 per cent for 8-to-11-year-olds.
