Protecting Young People in the Digital Age: Why I’m Backing the Lib Dem Amendment to the Data Bill

This week, Parliament is debating the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill—a piece of legislation that covers everything from smart meters to birth certificates. While some of the reforms are welcome, such as streamlining digital verification and improving public services, the Liberal Democrats believe the Bill is missing a crucial opportunity to protect young people online.

That’s why I’m supporting our amendment to the Bill, which would raise the age at which big tech companies can legally harvest children's data from 13 to 16. It’s a common-sense step that would bring the UK in line with best practice across Europe and go a long way in helping to create a less addictive, more responsible online environment for young people.

Right now, 13-year-olds can legally have their data collected by tech giants—data that’s then used to serve them personalised content, track their behaviour, and ultimately shape the digital world around them. In an era where social media platforms are designed to be as attention-grabbing and habit-forming as possible, this is simply not good enough.

We need to be supporting young people’s relationship with technology, not leaving them to navigate it alone. This amendment is about giving children a fairer start in an increasingly online world. It's about shifting the balance of power away from tech companies and towards families, educators, and young people themselves.

Polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats shows just how urgent this is: seven in ten people say the Government isn’t doing enough to protect children online. That should be a wake-up call for all of us.

We’re also calling on the Government to ringfence revenue generated from Ofcom fines under the Online Safety Act, and put it towards standalone online safety education in schools. If we’re serious about preparing the next generation for life online, we need to back it up with proper resources and support—not just headline policies.

Raising the age of digital consent to 16 won’t fix everything overnight. But it’s a meaningful, achievable step in the right direction. I urge MPs from all parties to get behind our amendment and do right by our children.