Protecting children from the harms of social media by introducing a ban for under 16-year-olds

As Liberal Democrats, we have long-been raising the alarm on social media harms as a public health crisis and there is a strong body of growing evidence that addictive algorithms & harmful content are damaging children’s mental & physical health, sleep, concentration, & overall wellbeing.

We have already called for a ban on big tech companies collecting our children’s data, as well as mandatory health warnings to be made visible on social media & doom-scrolling caps to limit children’s screen time.

But we have also been clear that far more needs to be done to keep children safe online. The longer we delay action, the more children are put at risk.

That’s why we have called for a ban on harmful social media for under 16-year-olds through an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill. This would have introduced age ratings for social media, similar to film classifications, with the most harmful platforms restricted up to age 18 and a default age rating of 16.

This approach was supported by 42 charities & experts that work with children, violence against women & children & online safety, including the Molly Rose Foundation, NSPCC, Internet Watch Foundation & the Centre for Protecting Women Online. These organisations also raised concerns about a blanket ban on other online platforms which could push children to even darker corners of the internet.

But we Liberal Democrats made a promise to charities, campaigners, and most importantly to the people like you who have written to us that we would not play party politics on the issue of social media. We have kept that promise. Children and young people must come first.

That is why, despite our difference in approach, we have backed a cross-party amendment in the House of Lords which would ban social media for under-16s. There is a shared responsibility to act, & act urgently. We are now calling on the Government to work with the Liberal Democrats to go further than a consultation, and bring forward concrete proposals that are workable, futureproof, & in the best interests of children & young people. We cannot kick the can down the road in the hope that something will happen.

Liberal Democrats will continue to work closely with parents, children, schools, experts & charities to ensure the final legislation stands the test of time. Together, we can keep up the momentum and deliver the change that is necessary to keep children safe online.