Social Media Use: Minimum Age

Stressed the responsibility of adults and parents to monitor their children's social media usage and highlighted a headteacher’s concern about parental smartphone use.

Expressed gratitude for parents bringing forward petitions on children’s safety and agreed with the need for robust measures on age access but also stressed the importance of empowering children through curriculum reviews.

Expressed gratitude for the Petitions Committee and acknowledged the petition's signatories, including those from his constituency.

Criticised the Government's reliance on a six-year-old review and highlighted increases in mental health admissions, eating disorders, ADHD diagnoses, childhood myopia, obesity rates among children, and speech and language challenges.

Pays tribute to Kim Campbell for the petition and discusses the toxicity of social media, urging government action.

He discusses the inconsistency of mental health trends across different countries, suggesting that causes are multifaceted beyond just domestic policies or events like the pandemic.

Reported on successful initiatives in Chipping Barnet's schools to ban smartphones and mentioned local collaboration with Smartphone Free Childhood campaign.

Highlights the increasing incidence of mental health issues among children, attributing it partly to social media usage. Discusses the risks associated with online bullying, grooming, and harmful content.

The MP supports a minimum-age requirement of 16 for social media use on the Australian model, citing concerns over mental health impacts and online safety risks.

The hon. Member discussed a constituent's charity 'Kids For Now', which aims to delay smartphone usage among children through collective parental action. She highlighted research indicating that 84% of bullying happens online, affecting children’s mental health.

Argues for government intervention to protect children from harmful content on social media, noting rising anxiety levels and mental health issues among young people; supports changing laws to restrict under-16s' access.

Frith discusses the difficulties parents face in managing smartphone access for their children, advocating for improved parental control features on smartphones to empower parents.

Supported Josh MacAlister's private Member’s Bill and shared evidence from a school's stricter smartphone policy showing positive outcomes.

Discussed the addictive features of smartphones and social media, focusing on their impacts on sleep, mental health, and educational attainment. He highlights the need for social media companies to have minimum age requirements by law and points out limitations in Ofcom’s regulatory powers.

The MP discussed the issue of children's smartphone usage and its impact on mental health, highlighting that over 600 constituents have signed a petition regarding this matter. He cited evidence indicating that young people spend an average of 35 hours a week online, which is time not spent interacting face-to-face or building social skills.

The hon. Member supports the idea of involving young people directly in reviewing legislation and mentions a case where students from his constituency raised concerns about social media's impact on mental health.

Wilkinson supports McEvoy's proposal and suggests comparing social media use to other age-limited activities like alcohol or driving. He emphasises the need for proper regulation under the Online Safety Act.

The hon. Member points out that cuts to youth services have reduced opportunities for children to socialise outside school, suggesting the need to provide alternatives before limiting access to social media.

Raised concern about violent crime footage shared on social media in Fife, supporting the idea of raising the online age of consent to 16 as a step towards tackling this issue.

Acknowledges the challenge of implementing a complete smartphone ban but supports guidance and statutory footing for such measures. Raises concerns about the effectiveness of a blanket age restriction on social media access, suggesting alternative approaches to protect young people from social media harms.

As a parent of teenagers, she notes the challenges with screen time regulation due to addictive algorithms; suggests that parents need more support and tools rather than full responsibility.

Questions the Minister about the mundane aspects of social media use and its impact on young people's energy and attention.

The hon. Member agrees that legislation has not kept pace with the rapid changes in social media usage, highlighting the need for continuous risk assessments under the Online Safety Act. Agrees that legislative change is needed to protect young people from harmful social media content; highlights declining mental health in adolescents; emphasizes the role of algorithms in driving engagement at the expense of wellbeing.

Seventy-one per cent of children report having experienced harm online, and fifty-seven per cent of parents report that their children’s sleep patterns are being negatively affected by online activity.

Supports raising the minimum age to 16 for social media accounts and banning smartphones in schools, citing mental health concerns and academic performance impacts.

The hon. Member acknowledged the lived experiences of parents who are concerned about the impact of social media on their children's well-being and discussed the evidence base for why Parliament needs to act to protect the next generation from an epidemic of youth mental unwellness.

Asked if the MP had considered involving young people more directly in determining an appropriate age limit for smartphone use.

Discussed potential issues related to medical requirements for smartphone use in schools, highlighting exemptions under the Equality Act 2010.

Acknowledged Alison Bennett's point but emphasized the need for regulatory measures against companies pushing dangerous content, proposed raising the age of data consent from 13 to 16, and discussed issues related to smartphones in schools. Agreed that the status quo cannot continue and advocated for a cross-party approach. Emphasized the need to reverse the burden of proof on social media companies.

Between 2016 and 2024, child contact with mental health services increased by 477%, rising from 96,000 to 458,000 cases.