Social Media Restrictions: A Promise Made, But Much More to Do

At last, the social media giants are under the microscope, and binding commitments have been made to implement social media restrictions for under-16s.  

Over recent months, my inbox has received a stream of emails on this issue and the urgent need to tackle the addictive algorithms that are harming our children.  

As a father of three, I am well aware of the dangers that social media poses, and the evidence is overwhelming; with a strong link between social media use and an increased risk of self-harm, reduced self-esteem, while a peer-reviewed study of 6,595 adolescents found that spending more than three hours a day on social media doubled the risk of anxiety and depression.  

Since becoming the first party to force a vote in the House of Commons in February on banning damaging social media, we’ve worked cross-party in both chambers, and most importantly, directed all our action based upon the concerns of parents, charities, and young people across the country.  

During the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill this week, in the Lords and Commons, we stayed late into the night to vote against the Government’s proposals: keeping the pressure on and pushing for faster and stronger action to ensure children’s wellbeing comes first. 

Last week, we secured an important victory by forcing the Government to put its guidance on mobile phones into schools by law. Schools will now be legally required to ensure pupils do not have access to phones during the day. This is something we have long campaigned for and will not unfairly penalise those with medical and educational needs 

But in the past few days, another crucial step. Through active cross-party negotiations and sustained pressure, the voices of concerned parents, charities, and young people has shifted the government’s stance.   

They have decided to introduce some partial action for under-16s. This is welcome, however, the timeline for reform falls short. The promise of a “form of age or functionality restriction” fails to provide the clarity parents need and leaves children exposed to the whims of big tech giants for a further 21 months.  

Now that the bill has received Royal Assent, and with the governments consultation closing in just over a month’s time, ministers have suggested that they are aiming to act before the end of the year.  

As we look forward, I will be holding them firmly to that commitment and alongside my Liberal Democrat colleagues we will be urging the Government to come forward with a quicker timeline and serious details over the action they will be taking to keep our children safe online. 

This is the clarity parents and charities deserve, and the action young people need.