My View: Have Your Say in the Social Media Consultation!
- Anna Turley
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
I have been contacted so often by parents and educators across Redcar who are increasingly worried about what social media is doing to their children's sleep, concentration and mental health. Many feel they are fighting a losing battle against platforms designed to keep children scrolling. They are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having. They worry about AI, about their children talking to chatbots as if they’re real people, and what this does to a child’s development.
A lot of people have contacted me calling for an outright ban on social media for under-16s, and I do understand that view. Others, including children's charities, have warned that a blanket ban could drive children towards less regulated corners of the internet or leave teenagers unprepared when they do come online.
That is why our Government has launched a consultation on children’s safety online. This consultation will look at all the options and consider a wide range of points of view. It also asks the questions about how any new rules would work in practice to ensure they are effective.
Some of the questions the consultation is considering include:
• Whether there should be a minimum age for social media, and if so, what age would be right
• Whether platforms should be required to switch off addictive features that keep children hooked late into the night - like infinite scrolling and autoplay
• Whether mandatory overnight curfews would help children sleep better and what age they should apply to
• Whether children should be able to use AI chatbots without restriction
• How age verification enforcement should be strengthened
• What areas of digital literacy parents and children need extra help with
The consultation is open to everyone with a view. And our Government will respond in the summer, acting swiftly on the evidence gathered.
I want to make sure that Redcar’s voice is heard. I would urge parents, carers and, importantly, young people in Redcar to shape the country's next steps on children’s digital wellbeing. I am determined to make sure that we get this right, and that we create a digital world that gives young people the childhood they deserve and prepares them for the future. Over the coming months, I want to engage with parents, children, educators and other stakeholders, and speaking to you all directly about your concerns, what you want to see change, and how you want me to represent you best on this issue.
I’ve linked the consultation here, so would be grateful if you wanted to get involved:
In the meantime, if you want to talk to your children about the content they see online you can check out the Government’s advice at www.gov.uk/kidsonlinesafety
I look forward to hearing from as many people as possible over the next few months- keep your eyes open for any events I’ll be organising, as I want to see every view represented.
