A debate about whether children should be allowed on social media before the age of 16 is gathering pace – and one MP is now asking residents to help shape his response.
Steve Race is asking people in Exeter to share their views on whether access to social media platforms for under-16s should be restricted, as part of a wider national discussion about protecting young people online.
The survey comes as the Government prepares to launch a three-month consultation examining further measures to improve online safety for children.
The UK already has legislation aimed at protecting young people through the Online Safety Act, but ministers have indicated that additional action may be needed. Issues under discussion include the use of mobile phones in schools and whether the age at which children can consent to their data being used by digital companies should be raised.
Another proposal being discussed internationally is increasing the minimum age for using social media platforms. In Australia, the government has recently banned under-16s from accessing platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok and X, prompting debate in other countries about whether similar measures should be introduced.
Race said he had already received close to 500 emails from people calling for a ban and wants to gather further views from across the city.
On Tuesday, February 10, he hosted an event in Parliament alongside the UK Safer Internet Centre and Exeter-based South West Grid for Learning. The discussion focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on young people.
Race also raised the organisation’s technological tool known as “hashing” in the House of Commons. The system helps identify and remove non-consensual images from the internet more quickly.
Race said: “How we best protect children online is one of the most challenging questions of our digital age. It’s also one of the most important, as the impacts can reverberate throughout people’s lives.
“I want to hear from parents, children and those working with young people to understand what they think needs to change. I’ll take what I learn to write my own response to the Government’s consultation, based on the experiences of people in Exeter.
“I’ve already received hundreds of emails over the past few weeks, which goes to show just how strongly Exeter residents feel about this. Whatever your views, it would be really helpful to hear from as many constituents as possible, so please do take a few minutes to fill in the survey.”
The survey can be accessed at:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdX30EzmJfSW95vQNcB4bGQXb99OA8mOylV9J8gctqQKH1hRg/viewform?usp=header
