Social Media Under-16s

I would like to provide you with another update on the Liberal Democrats actions to make social media safer for children as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which is now at the final stage of its passage.

Following our success in banning mobile phones in schools by putting the guidance on a statutory footing, including “not seen & not heard” policies, we continue to direct our efforts towards a ban on harmful social media for children, something the Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for.

It is deeply disappointing that, at the eleventh hour, the Conservatives folded under pressure and went home, as the Government voted to delay social media regulations by a further 21 months. This means that children would now have to wait years before legislation is made that protects them from harmful social media content and addictive algorithms. The Conservatives might be happy to leave our children exposed to big tech’s addictive grasp for nearly two more years, but we will not accept this.

Liberal Democrats did not fold under pressure and we stayed late into the night to vote against the Government’s proposals.

We have always been clear that children’s wellbeing comes first. Tonight, Liberal Democrat peers will lead the way in advocating for smarter regulation of the online world, and quicker timelines for implementation. Whether the Conservatives capitulate again or not, Liberal Democrats will always put the voices of campaigners, experts, and families first in standing up to big tech.

Through active negotiations and political pressure, we have already forced the Government to move towards a stronger stance on social media. From enshrining addictive design harms and the need for age-ratings in law, to securing powers to ban social media giants from collecting our children’s data, we have led the way in putting party politics aside and engaging constructively in the interests of our children and young people.

And that is why we are now urging the Government to come forward with a quicker timeline by which legislative action will be taken. We need the Government to take this issue seriously - letting our children be subject to the whims of big tech giants for a further 21 months is simply not good enough.

As always, the Liberal Democrats will continue to work together with anyone who wants to put children and families first. I want to thank you for contacting me about the important issue of social media, and I want to assure you that I will do everything to ensure that this legislation is fit for purpose and ensures our children are safe online.