Young people need protecting from the very real harms that social media can cause. It is now clear that social media has become a Wild West and, increasingly, a public health crisis that is entirely avoidable.
Tech companies have had years to get their house in order, and the truth is that while the Online Safety Act is a step in the right direction, it still does not go far enough.
Many Labour MPs support the Australian-led approach of banning social media for under-16s, and the government should give it serious consideration and be prepared to act.
I understand there are mixed views, including whether an outright ban would work in practice given the use of VPNs to bypass country restrictions, or whether it could weaken efforts to equip young people for the age at which they would then be able to access social media. However, the fact is that doing nothing is not an option.
I would also like to see greater recognition that adults too are being impacted by the range of harms present on social media, including harassment, bullying, fake and bot accounts amplifying harmful content, hate speech, and sexual abuse imagery.
I look forward to the government’s response to this consultation.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 