Thank you for taking the time to write to me about the proposals to ban under 16s from accessing social media.
Parents, carers and grandparents across Beverley and Holderness keep telling me the same thing: something has gone badly wrong online, and children are paying the price. That’s why I welcomed the decision by the House of Lords on Wednesday to vote in support for the Conservatives’ plan to ban social media for under 16s.
What many adults don’t realise is that children aren’t seeking extreme content, it’s pushed at them: knives, pornography, real life violence, all delivered by addictive algorithms designed to keep children scrolling. Parents want to do the right thing, but too often feel isolated. If one child is kept off social media, they risk being socially excluded because everyone else is on it. That’s not a fair position to put families in.
I spoke to the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Laura Trott MP, about this important issue. We agreed that putting these restrictions in place helps parents instead of lecturing them, giving families the confidence to set boundaries. It will support teachers, who can spend more time teaching instead of policing what pupils see online; and it will protect children by recognising the pressure and exhaustion caused by constant notifications and cyber bullying.
You can watch our full discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciqqkrDiV5M
I want to hear your views. Listening to parents, carers, grandparents, and families helps us get this right, so please take a few minutes to complete my survey here: https://www.grahamstuart.com/SafeOnline