Exclusive:Scots Labour MP warns against 'punishing young people' with under-16 social media ban
The UK Government is consulting on a potential social media ban for those aged under 16
A Scottish Labour MP has warned the UK Government that it must “avoid being seen to punish young people” by banning social media for under-16s.
Graeme Downie, MP for Dunfermline and Dollar, said “we must be very careful” that a ban “doesn't have the unintended consequence of isolating those young people”.
He also warned against “rushing in to total bans on social media for young people without exhausting other options first”.
It comes after the UK Government announced that it was holding a three-month consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s - like Australia has already done.
It will also consider overnight curfews and breaks to prevent “doomscrolling”.
Six Scottish Labour MPs were among 61 who signed a letter calling for a ban - with many others also in favour.
Mr Downie said: "I am happy the government is going to look seriously at the harm that social media can cause young people, but I also believe that in taking time to consult with young people, parents and professionals we will get proposals that are rigorous and have broader support. It is right that the government is taking a thoughtful approach and resisting calls for immediate bans.
"I don't believe we should be rushing in to total bans on social media for young people without exhausting other options first, primarily education. We must be very careful that a well-intended act to protect our youngest generations doesn't have the unintended consequence of isolating those young people for whom their social media connections are their social lives, their way of communicating and their lifeline to the world around them.
"I will be calling on the government to engage fully and properly with young people from a young age as part of their consultation. Young people are the experts in their own lives and as digital natives, have far greater understanding about different platforms and their positive and negative effect. We must trust young people and avoid being seen to punish young people because of something we don't understand."
Bathgate and Linlithgow MP Kirsteen Sullivan - who signed the letter - said she supported the consultation: “We are hearing, more and more, that protections from real world harm are not replicated in the online world. Children can regularly be exposed to harmful material with AI and aggressive algorithms constantly drive further exposure. Platforms with global reach expose children to damaging content such as body dysmorphia, suicide, and violent and sexual content.
“I’ve spoken to children’s mental health practitioners, who are clear that this early exposure has a significant impact on mental health and wellbeing of too many young people.
“The scrolling can be addictive and blur the lines of fact and fiction, what’s real and what’s not. Tech platforms aren’t addressing this issue, and government must step in.”
In a statement to the Commons on Tuesday, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “We are determined to help parents, children and young people deal with these issues, with a lasting solution that gives children the childhood they deserve, enhances their wellbeing and prepares them for the future.”
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