Lancaster Labour MP joins vote to ban social media for under 16s in UK

Lancaster MP Cat Smith has joined over 60 Labour MPs in pushing to ban under 16s from social media access in the UK.

This comes at a time when major debates surrounding the influence of social media over children’s lives are circulating the media, following the recent blanket ban for those under the age of 16 in Australia.

Explaining her reasons for supporting the ban, the Labour MP cited the risks that phones and social media pose to children.

More widely, a parliamentary petition on the government website has surpassed 73,000 public votes to address the issue of online safety for young children and the use of data by multinational companies without the consent of parents.

In response to this, the government claim it is “launching a consultation and a national conversation to gather views and drive action to keep children safe online, including seeking views on a social media ban for children”, suggesting a social media ban is an absolute option for tackling online safety.

However, many have doubted how effective a blanket ban will be at protecting the safety of children under 16. Some have pointed out how difficult it is to monitor social media usage, while other critics argue it will push teenagers into more private, untraceable sides of the internet, potentially putting them in more danger.

Initially, the UK Prime Minister Keir supported the argument that it is too hard to track the social media usage if children. However, following the recent implementation by the Australian government of an Online Safety Amendment Bill, Starmer adopted a more optimistic view, claiming “we are looking at Australia, there are different ways you can enforce it”.

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The House of Lords, alongside much of the public, are in support of a blanket ban, arguing social media is a dangerous distraction.

Labour MP Cat Smith made the claim that people are not aware enough of the risk of social media.

She further point out she is more worried about her young child’s activity – or the activities of others – on the internet, than them crossing a road.

In an open letter to Keir Starmer, signed and supported by Cat Smith alongside the other 6o+ Labour MPs, they said: “Across our constituencies, we hear the same message: children are anxious, unhappy and unable to focus on learning.”

At a time where social media use is at a record high amongst young people, and often treated as a trusted source for news and information, the removal of social media could be detrimental to their socialisation, while also being beneficial to their mental health, removing anxiety, unhappiness and distraction.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson previously claimed it is beneficial for children not to have access to their phones or social media throughout the school day, reiterating its dangers as a distraction to their learning.

As the Government petition sits at 73,000, the government is yet to issue further updates regarding the potential ban for under 16s from using social media in the United Kingdom.

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Featured image via @catsmithmp on Instagram.