Tech companies should meet strict security requirements or face underneath 16s ban, Keir Starmer instructed
A leading group of charities and organisations will meet with Keir Starmer in Downing Street to make their argument over social media restrictions for under 16s
Keir Starmer will meet with leading child online safety firms today (Image: Jaimi Joy/PA Wire)
Keir Starmer must force tech firms to meet strict safety standards to be able to offer their services to under 16s in the UK, campaigners and experts have warned.
In a landmark letter to the PM, a leading group of charities and organisations – who have differing views on a social media ban for teens – have joined forces to apply pressure on No10. They will meet with Mr Starmer today to make their case ahead of the conclusion of a landmark consultation on social media restrictions next week.
The group says an all-or-nothing debate about whether or not to ban children from social media can “over simplify what is a complex issue”.
Instead, they are calling for social media platforms to be banned from allowing kids to access features that are addictive by design or present a risk to children’s safety and wellbeing. This includes infinite scrolling and video autoplay, which can lock kids into a doomscrolling cycle, as well as features like disappearing messages, location sharing or the ability to be contacted by strangers.
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Online platforms should only be able to offer their services to children in this country if these standards are met, the group said. The letter states: “Platforms’ continued ability to offer accounts and services to children should be made conditional on their ability to demonstrate that they are safe.”
Signatories of the letter include the NSPCC, Smartphone Free Childhood, Molly Rose Foundation, FlippGen and People vs. Big Tech. It is the first time that organisations such as Smartphone Free Childhood – which has called for the social media age to be raised to 16 – and Molly Rose Foundation – which has warned about the potential risks of the UK following an Australian-style social media ban – have written jointly to the Prime Minister.
The campaigners believe that such a diverse range of groups coming together is highly significant and helps to provide a clear and practical way forward for the government.
The UK Government is currently consulting on a wide range of online safety measures, including app curfews, limits on addictive design features and an outright social media ban for teens. It will conclude next week.
Joe Ryrie, co-founder and director of Smartphone Free Childhood, said: “What’s so significant about this moment is that organisations across civil society are aligning around a simple principle: access to our children should be treated as a privilege that must be earned, not an automatic right. The Prime Minister now has a historic opportunity not just to implement world-leading regulation, but to help reclaim childhood for a generation. He must seize it.”
Andy Burrows, chief executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “Parents are rightly demanding action to protect children online and it’s crucial the Government acts quickly and decisively off the back of the consultation to make safety a precondition for tech firms to do business in the UK.”
Chris Sherwood, chief executive at the NSPCC, said: “Services must be held accountable for putting children’s safety first and delivering age-appropriate experiences. The status quo cannot continue – we need to see transformational change, targeting the drivers of harm to children across the online world.”
Ava Lee, executive director of People vs Big Tech, said: “The Prime Minister now has a historic opportunity to put the UK at the forefront of child safety by forcing tech companies to prove their platforms are safe before they are given access to children. If a product risks harming children, it should not be on the market — and social media should be no exception.””
A government spokesman said: “We share the coalition’s determination to keep children safe online and value the role they play in pushing for change. We want to give children the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future.
“We know families want us to move fast, and we’ve secured new powers to act quickly once the consultation concludes. This isn’t a question of whether we will act, but how – we will set out next steps by the summer.”
