← Back to Westminster Hall Debates
Children’s Social Media Accounts
13 January 2025
Lead MP
Lewis Atkinson
Sunderland Central
Lab
Responding Minister
Feryal Clark
Tags
Taxation
Word Count: 19559
Other Contributors: 18
At a Glance
Lewis Atkinson raised concerns about children’s social media accounts in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
I call on social media companies to take responsibility for protecting children and to implement age-assurance requirements without delay. I also ask the Government and social media companies to address specific issues about parental access to social media when children are alive and after their death.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The petition attracted 126,000 signatures. The law and practice related to social media data have changed since the death of Jools in April 2022, but these changes are not sufficient for bereaved parents like Ellen Roome who cannot access her son's social media data.
Alex McIntyre
Con
Sunderland South
Joined the debate in support of increased regulation and measures to protect children from online harms. Acknowledged contributions by other speakers and looks forward to the Minister's response. Recalled his own teenage experiences with early social media platforms like Bebo and MSN Messenger, stressing the need for better protection for young people who are learning to deal with online content at a vulnerable age.
Hitchin
Stressed the urgency to act on online harm and highlighted the progress made but noted areas where more needs to be done for parents' oversight rights and data access after bereavement.
Ben Obese-Jecty
Con
Huntingdon
Praised Ellen Roome's work in highlighting the issue. Acknowledged the contributions of other MPs and the significance of the petition.
Emphasized the need for Parliament to legislate given that overseas social media companies cannot be relied upon to act responsibly. Agreed with Lewis Atkinson on the necessity of legislative action but noted a lack of clarity in current law. Discussed how social media can exacerbate bullying, leading to a lack of safety for teenagers both in school and at home. Asked the Minister to commit to amending legislation to clearly identify doctored imagery and accounts spreading them.
South Devon
Paid tribute to Ellen Roome and other families for their campaigning on online safety, highlighting the difficulty parents face in obtaining information after a child's death due to online harms. Urged tech companies to release data requested by bereaved parents without legal proceedings.
Clive Jones
LD
Wokingham
Agrees that social media companies should have responsibilities such as ensuring children in Wokingham and across the UK are protected from harmful content.
Damian Hinds
Con
East Hampshire
Joined colleagues in thanking Ellen Roome for initiating the petition and mentioned the Government's response to the Online Safety Act. Asked about the implications of the GDPR age limit of 13, questioning if parental controls could be overridden by someone reaching that age.
Scott Arthur
Lab
Edinburgh South West
Highlighted the importance of striking a balance between respecting children's privacy and ensuring their safety online, while stressing the role of internet service providers in blocking harmful content linked to deaths of young people.
Ellen MacMaster
SNP
Stirling
Described how social media companies have not released messages that could help identify the cause of a child's death.
Feryal Clark
Lab
Batley and Spen
Explained the rationale behind setting the GDPR age limit at 13 and offered to write to Damian Hinds with more detail on why this decision was made.
Jess Asato
Lab
Lowestoft
Stressed the harmful effects of excessive online activity on children's mental health, addiction risks, and exposure to inappropriate content. Emphasized the need for better regulation, parental oversight tools, and raising the age of internet access.
Lola McEvoy
Con
Darlington
Asked if Caroline Voaden supports amendments to the Data (Use and Access) Bill that would establish a complaints procedure for data access requests from families of deceased individuals, but Caroline did not think it went far enough. Calls for a stronger dynamic risk assessment and live document updates within the upcoming children’s code to enhance safeguarding measures.
Cheltenham
Shared Ellen Roome's story, highlighting her struggle to access her son Jools' social media data after his death. Criticised the legal system for failing to provide answers to grieving parents and called for reforms in line with natural justice.
Monica Harding
Lab
Bournemouth West
Agreed with Caroline Voaden about the negative impact of social media on children's mental health and concentration levels. Suggested that a Government study announced in November exploring this issue should be published soon. Questions whether Ofcom’s implementation has been weak and overly cautious. Suggests it does not go far enough in protecting children.
Twickenham
Paid tribute to Ellen Roome for her campaign and discussed the significant amount of time young people spend online daily. She highlighted concerns about privacy, safety, and involvement of young people in solutions.
Patrick Hurley
Lab
Southport
Asked about the disparity in regulation between platforms like LinkedIn versus Telegram or Discord, which are overrun with extreme and harmful content.
Tom Collins
Lab
Worcester
He thanks those who signed the petition for raising awareness about online harms and expresses concern that regulation of harmful content is not enough. The MP supports moving at pace to regulate persistent low-level harms eroding young people's mental health.
Welcomed the Online Safety Act but highlighted its limitations and called for legislation to give parents access to their children’s social media accounts.
Government Response
Feryal Clark
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Government Response
Pledged to continue reviewing the Online Safety Act and its implementation. Mentioned plans to build on the legislation where it does not go far enough, including establishing a data preservation process through clause 122 of the Data (Use and Access) Bill.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.