Scottish Labour MPs have given their backing to a ban on social media for kids under 16.
Livingston MP Gregor Poynton said he backed a ban because it would help young people’s mental health, would increase online safety and “reverse children’s decreasing attention spans”. Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath’s Melanie Ward said raising the age “would be an important first step” in stopping young people “committing acts of violent crime and then sharing the footage on social media”.
The Daily Record’s ‘Our Kids… Our Future’ campaign has been calling for social media giants to take more action to remove harmful content. As part of the campaign we have been reporting on a series of horrific attacks on young people. It comes after Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said he would ban mobile phones in schools if he becomes First Minister.
Poynton said during a Westminster Hall debate in the Commons: “I am convinced of the merits of enforcing a minimum-age requirement of 16 for social media on the Australian model. I am in favour on mental health grounds, with social media shown in study after study to be linked to increased anxiety, depression and low self-esteem for young people.
“I am in favour on online safety grounds, with social media exposing children to cyberbullying, predators, misinformation and harmful content. I am in favour in order to try to reverse children’s decreasing attention spans; we need to give our kids the support they need to focus, to learn and to reach their full potential.”
He added: “I believe that the minimum age for social media is an idea whose time has come. For me, it is a matter of protection and of ensuring that we prepare young people mentally and emotionally as best we can to handle the pressures that social media can bring. Even without a ban, however, we must ensure today that existing age limits are being properly and rigorously enforced, and we must engage robustly with the tech companies to ensure that they are doing all they can to protect our young people and children.”
Ward said: “Young people are filming themselves committing acts of violent crime and then sharing the footage on social media... Although raising the online age of consent to 16 would not solve that problem completely and it would need to be properly enforced, it would be an important first step in tackling this kind of harm.”
North Ayrshire and Arran MP Irene Campbell added: “Smartphones and social media are more likely to expose children to sexual and offensive content, which can include young people being pressured into sending sexual images of themselves. For example, Ofsted found that 80 per cent of teenage girls are being put under pressure to provide images of themselves.
“When we look at a strategy tackling violence against women and girls, that needs to be considered because of the damage that access to social media can have on young girls. It is really important to consider young people’s safety on the internet in a time where technology is constantly evolving and changing.”
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