I have now received over 700 emails from residents in my constituency supporting the social media ban for under-16s being discussed in Parliament and our Conservative party policy to act to better protect our youngsters. My great thanks to everyone who took time to write. We have now taken a huge step forward in our campaign to help parents shield their children from the increasingly recognised harms of social media. This challenge is backed by a growing body of evidence.
I know many parents across Britain, like me, are already taking individual action to try to limit internet access and screen time for their children but they need a helping hand. I know this can be fraught and it has been personally challenging for me and my family. We do need to back parents and support them in changing this ‘smartphone culture’. Young adults too are very aware of the negative impacts of social media as they have grown up in this new online world and I am proud they are adding their voices to the call for legislative support to better protect the next generation of children. They know it affects attention span, impacts mental health and is designed to be addictive so becomes very difficult to get away from.
While Government's role isn't to tell adults what to think, it should draw clear, enforceable lines to protect children. A simple age limit for social media does that. It protects our kids properly and stops adults being treated like children. Our Conservative led amendment to take children under the age of 16 off social media was passed in the Lords, despite opposition from the Labour Party. You can listen to what I had to say after that vote on the 21st of January here:
Mims Davies MP encourages children to Get off Social Media and Protect their Wellbeing | Mims Davies
Parliament has taken an important action to protect children online and that is because people like you up and down the country have spoken up. This is not the end of the process; there will be a vote in the House of Commons which the Conservatives will be campaigning to win.
The Prime Minister and his party now face a clear choice. If Labour are truly serious about protecting children, they can and must prove it by joining with us to vote for this measure. Already, more than 60 Labour MPs have backed a ban on social media for under-16s. The direction of travel is clear. I will keep you updated.
Meanwhile, you can also add your voice by signing our national survey calling for a social media ban here: Get kids off social media.
