Why we are calling for bold new restrictions on social media companies’ access to children, alongside increased support for children’s wellbeing.
Location: United Kingdom
Mark Rowland
The influence of digital technology on our mental health is one of the most contested but important social issues of our day.
Whilst it is true that social media is not the only cause of the significant rise in mental health needs amongst children and young people, it is a critical and modifiable factor having a big influence on our children’s mental health.
The lives lost after exposure to algorithmically promoted suicide and depression content make the need for urgent change clear. Excessive or passive social media use is linked with increased risk of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. The additional harm caused by the addictive design, promotion of self-harm and eating disorder and hate material only strengthens the case for decisive action.
Recognising the need for action does not mean the right solution is obvious.
So, we have been reviewing the evidence alongside listening to young people, experts, and bereaved parents to understand what a responsible, proportionate response should be; this included a roundtable discussion held at parliament in March.
With the Government recently opening a national consultation on a social media ban for under-16s, our central recommendation to government is this:
No social media platform should be able to have access to children unless they meet clear safety standards, independently assessed.
Each social media platform should meet clear safety standards before being allowed to offer their products to children - as we do for any hazardous offline product sold to this age group. Our proposal of how this would look can be broken down into 4 points:
1) Assess all platforms for child safety
Any platform that cannot demonstrate safe design should not be accessible to children.
2) Allow platforms to return once they meet safety standards
Some may choose to create child‑specific services; others may adapt their functionality for younger users. Either way this puts the onus on companies to make their product safe by design.
3) Introduce age ratings, not a single cut‑off
As with films, we propose age categories - such as 13, 16 and 18 - to reflect different developmental stages.
4) Support children offline
We need to rebuild support for children to socialise and play in their communities, including through youth clubs and sports facilities, and we need to ensure that they are equipped with the skills to navigate online worlds safely.
This does not mean we support a blanket and permanent ban on all social media for under‑16s. Social media can offer real benefits, and we do not think a permanent ban would be effective or incentivise companies to take safety by design seriously. But the current situation is unacceptable, and many platforms should lose access to our children as a matter of urgency.
Safety for children should also mean that social media platforms are no longer able to use features that foster addiction, such as streaks, infinite scrolling, and intrusive push notifications. It should be an informed choice to open Facebook or Snapchat, not something you do because your brain has been rewired to make you want to do so.
Despite the nuance needed, this legislation must progress at pace, before the technological developments outpaces it. Significant resource must be invested in Whitehall’s ability to respond to online safety developments before they inflict the scale of harm we are seeing today.
Alongside these reforms, we are also calling for greater offline support for children’s wellbeing. Our proposals above take a proportionate response to a direct threat to children’s mental health online, but they will have a limited impact in isolation. We heard time and again that we need to positively rebuild support for children to socialise and play in their communities, including investment in access to nature, youth clubs and sports facilities.
The time has come to start rebuilding a society where young people can benefit from technology without having their mental health harmed by it. It is vital the UK government acts decisively and swiftly, before more harm can be inflicted. We encourage all parents, young people and experts alike to contribute to the consultation and join us in being a part of the ongoing conversations to ensure our young people are sufficiently protected and supported.