A Labour MP’s bill to prevent children from “doom scrolling” on social media is expected to get government backing today, after its proposals were watered down.
Josh MacAlister, a former teacher, has been campaigning for tighter limits on younger teenagers spending hours a week on apps such as TikTok and Snapchat.
He told Sky News that today’s bill, which will be debated by MPs, was a “meaningful first step” towards making children safer online and hoped it would be “just the start” of government action on the issue.
The MP had originally called for a smartphone ban in schools, tougher action by Ofcom and raising the “digital age of consent” at which children can use most social media to 16.
But in the face of ministerial opposition, his bill now just calls for chief medical officers to review the evidence on screen-based harms – which was last looked at in 2019 – within a year.
When that review is complete, the government must decide whether there is a case to raise the age at which children can use social media from the current age of 13.
Mr MacAlister said: “We’ve managed to persuade lots of MPs and make a big noise about this issue, which is that for too many children, smartphones and social media are really addictive and taking a lot of their time and attention.
“That issue for too long hasn’t been debated in parliament. My private members’ bill will get the government to come back within a year on the question of raising the age of digital consent, and that would be a really important step forward in this campaign to make sure that parliament takes these issues seriously.
“We chose 13 a long, long time ago. Is that right? You know, in Norway it’s 15. In France it’s 15. I’m asking them to consider, ‘should we be setting it at a higher age?’
“Different countries are…
