Bereaved families and MPs are urging the government to take tougher steps to protect younger teenagers from “horrific” content on social media.
The Australian government’s decision to legislate for a smartphone ban for under 16s has reignited the debate in the UK about further restrictions, and a Labour MP is hoping to get government support for curbs on social media.
Stuart Stephens is among those campaigning for the government to go further and spoke to Sky News.
Olly with his father Stuart
His son Olly was just 13 when he was murdered by other teenagers following a row which began on social media.
Mr Stephens said his son had been trying to stand up for another child who was a victim of “patterning” – humiliating someone and circulating it on video to blackmail them. Three 14-year-olds were jailed for Olly’s murder in 2021 – following an investigation involving 11 social media platforms.
“We are angry,” Mr Stephens said. “Without a doubt, without all that interaction he would still be here.
“There’s no accountability. These platforms are put out; kids use them, people get hurt, and we need to shine a light on that.
“I firmly believe that I lost my son because of weak governance and poor legislation, full stop, which is why we are doing what we are doing.
“I can’t show you any of the stuff that we saw on his phone, but it’s horrific. And a lot of that stuff you can’t unsee. And especially as a child, you’ve got a developing brain and you bombard them with horrific stuff that’s going to change them as an adult, and that’s not beneficial for society.”
Mr Stephens added: “You think this is never going to happen to you.
“He went into his world with the mobile phone. We need to bolster the legislation that’s already there, not weaken it.”
