The Health Secretary expressed concern over the impact websites such as X and Instagram had on kids’ health, and claimed the technology was unleashed without knowing the consequences
Wes Streeting has called for action on social media use for under 16s amid growing demands for a ban.
The Health Secretary expressed concern over the impact websites such as X and Instagram had on kids’ health, and claimed the technology had been unleashed without anyone “understanding the consequences”. His intervention comes just days after one of the largest teaching unions said social media should be banned for under-16s to improve concentration at school and stem damage to mental health.
Asked if he was in favour of a ban on Sky News, Mr Streeting said: “I am certainly in favour of action in this area, but I don’t want to sort of impose my view on the debate and try and silence other voices here, because I can understand silent counter arguments that talk about some of the positives of being online and some of the positive connections from social media can bring.
READ MORE: Teaching union calls for under-16s social media ban to boost learningREAD MORE: Wes Streeting defends Labour U-turns – but government should ‘get it right first time’
“The PM is interested in it because he’s a father himself, he‘s interested in it because he cares about everyone’s children. It’s a good thing he’s encouraged debate in this area. We have allowed new technology to be unleashed without properly understanding the consequences.”
Sunday saw the Teachers’ union NASUWT urge the Government to force big tech platforms to prevent children from accessing their platforms, and follows Australia ’s banning social media for under-16s in December. The NASUWT claim growing evidence shows unregulated access to social media is driving poorer behaviour at schools, hurting the mental health of young people and exposing them to violent and sexually-explicit content.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall is said to be considering a restriction, and officials are believed to want a decision within months, not years. Mr Streeting Jonathan Haidt, a bestselling author and high-profile advocate of the ban, to talk to his officials in his push to impose the ban. Mr Haidt wrote a book called Anxious Generation, in which he claimed that widespread use of smartphones had caused a mental health crisis for young people.
Praising the Keir Starmer for consulting MPs, Mr Streeting said: “I’m really glad that the Prime Minister has said to Labour MPs that nothing should be ruled out, this is an enormous challenge and one we’ve got to get right. I really worry as our country’s Health secretary about the impact that social media is having on the health for well-being. education, the learning and the life chances of young people.
“Whether that’s the impact of doing scrolling on on cognition and brain development, whether that’s the fact that school playground bullies now get to follow people home and bully them in their bedrooms through their screens on social media apps, whether it’s issues we know exist around body image, around grooming, around expectation.”