Ahead of the closure of a major consultation on keeping kids safe online, a group of parents will meet Keir Starmer to discuss their fears about the online wild west
Bereaved families whose children died as a result of harmful social media content will take their fight for an Australia-style ban to Downing Street today.
Ahead of the closure of a major consultation on keeping kids safe online, a group of parents will meet Keir Starmer to discuss their fears about the online wild west. The meeting comes after campaigner Lauren Cowell issued an appeal to the Prime Minister in the Mirror on their behalf, urging him to “look in the eyes” of the families.
Ministers have been looking at whether to impose social media restrictions including an outright ban, time limits on app usage and overnight curfews.
Ellen Roome, who believes her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died after a TikTok challenge went wrong, said the minimum age should be raised to 16 until tech giants can prove it’s safe. She said: “I have spent the years since [his death] fighting global technology companies just to understand the last days of his life. No parent should have to do that.
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“Later today I, and other families who have lost children to social media, will tell the Prime Minister directly: social media is a product, and like any other faulty product causing the deaths of children, it should be restricted until the companies responsible have fixed it and proven it is safe.”
She added: “As the Government’s consultation closes today, the Prime Minister must now act on his promise to raise the age limit to 16 for harmful social media.”
Lord Nash, who has been leading a fight for a ban in the House of Lords, said: “The Government gave a commitment to Parliament that they would introduce some form of age or functionality restriction on social media for children under 16. We now expect them to deliver on that commitment fully and in the shortest possible timeframe.”
Not all campaigners support the idea of a ban. Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life after viewing suicide and self-harm content online, has argued the Government should be enforcing existing laws.
Mr Starmer has signalled he’s prepared to take tough action, telling the Mirror earlier this year: “I’ll be absolutely clear things will not stay as they are. This is going to change. I don’t think the next generation would forgive us if we didn’t act now.”
But the Government is not expected to announce its plans until after the consultation wraps up. It has already taken legal powers to allow minister to make swift changes to the law if needed.
Meanwhile, former Deputy PM Angela Rayner has piled pressure on the PM to impose a social media ban for under-16s.
Asked why the Government has got on with it on the “Rest is Politics” podcast, she agreed, saying: “I think again that just makes people feel ‘just make a decision and do it’, like that sense of the low hanging political fruit. Why you can not just make a decision that when it seems so clear that that’s what you need to do?”
A Government spokesperson said: “Everyone – especially children and young people – should be able to have a positive, safe experience online. That’s why we are consulting on a wide range of measures, from restricting social media access to potential app curfews, to ensure we get the balance right and protect young people from harm.
“We are still seeking views from parents, young people and experts before taking our next steps. More than 70,000 people have already engaged, and there is still time for others to share their views before the consultation closes at midnight.
“We are also taking wider action to tackle online harm. Through the Online Safety Act, platforms have to give users more control over the content they see and stronger protections from harmful material.”