Under 16s must be banned from having cell phones, Tory MP calls for

Rishi Sunak ought to think about banning social media and smartphones for below 16s, a Tory MP has known as.

Right-wing Conservative Miriam Cates raised the case of 14-year-old Mia Janin, who’s believed to have taken her personal life, after claims she was cyber-bullied emerged. Schoolboys allegedly used a bunch chat to make enjoyable of her on Snapchat, an inquest heard.

Speaking to Mr Sunak at Prime Minister’s Questions, Ms Cates stated: “This morning the press reported the tragic case of a 14-year-old girl who took her own life following horrific social media bullying, including on TikTok and Snapchat. Since 2010, across the English speaking world, there’s been a marked increase in poor teen mental health, teen suicide attempts and children addicted to pornography.

“The United Kingdom has a powerful custom of legislating to guard youngsters from critical threats to their security and welfare. So does my Right Honourable Friend agree with me that it is time to think about banning social media and maybe even smartphones for below 16s?”

The PM responded: “My Honourable Friend is totally proper to focus on the impression of what occurs on-line on our youngsters and that is why our Online Safety Act tackles each prison exercise on-line and protects youngsters from dangerous or inappropriate content material resembling bullying, or the promotion of self-harm, accessing pornography and likewise publicity to consuming problems.

“Ofcom are now rightly developing and consulting on the guidance in the codes and practices for how those platforms will meet their duties. And if they don’t clean up their act, then Ofcom will be able to impose fines of up to 10% of global turnover on the social media firms.”

Mia, a yr 10 pupil on the Jewish Free School (JFS) in Kenton, north-west London, was discovered useless at her household dwelling in Harrow on March 12 2021. In the statements given to the police, her associates stated that Mia was bullied by different pupils on the faculty, and that their friendship group was nicknamed the “suicide squad” within the months main as much as her dying. They stated that considered one of Mia’s TikToks was shared to a Snapchat group chat run by male pupils at JFS, the place they made enjoyable of her.

Ms Cates, who was elected as MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge in 2019, co-founded the right-wing New Conservatives group alongside fellow backbencher Danny Kruger. The group help conventional household values. Ms Cates has stated that getting Britain reproducing once more is “fundamental to our survival” as she claimed the training system is “destroying children’s souls”. She has been outspoken in her concern about declining fertility charges in Britain, calling for insurance policies to advertise marriage and having youngsters.

In 2021, Ms Cates and Mr Kruger additionally established the New Social Covenant Unit (NSCU) to advertise “families, communities and the nation”. Earlier in 2023, the NSCU revealed a evaluate commissioned by Ms Cates criticising intercourse training and claiming youngsters had been being proven inappropriate materials, prompting the Prime Minister to order a evaluate of steerage on the topic. Teaching unions denied Ms Cates’ claims, saying there was “no evidence to suggest there is a widespread problem” and calling the evaluate “politically motivated”.