Scottish MP calls for social media ban for under 16s

Scottish Labour MP Gregor Poynton has urged the UK Government to introduce an Australia-like ban on social media accounts for children.

Speaking during a debate in Westminster Hall, the MP for Livingston called for a minimum age requirement of 16 for social media in a bid to prepare children “emotionally” and “mentally” for the “pressures” these sites can bring.

The debate was triggered by a petition calling for a ban which has received more than 120,000 signatures.

He said: “I'm in favour on mental health grounds with social media shown in study after study to be linked to increased anxiety, depression and low self-esteem for young people.

“I'm in favour on online safety grounds, with social media exposing children to cyber bullying, predators, misinformation and harmful content. I'm in favour to try and reverse children's decreasing attention spans as we need to give our kids the support they need to focus, to learn and to reach their full potential.”

Last year, Australia became the first country in the world to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media.

And, in December, First Minister John Swinney confirmed there were ongoing discussions with the UK Government to introduce a similar ban in the UK. However, technology secretary Peter Kyle has said such a measure is “not on the cards at the moment”. No further updates have yet been made.

Poynton also urged the government to do more to ensure sites enforced current age requirements, adding they “have not taken enough responsibility” for the content on their sites.

He said: “The incentive at the moment is very much to let loose and for eyeballs and time spent rather than to make sure that it is properly moderated, and that content is going to the right people. Because we already have various minimum age restrictions in place, but the challenge has been to enforce that, and social media companies must adhere and enforce them. So, with or without a ban we do need more effective oversight and accountability on how these platforms operate.

“I think there's also a vital role for industry leaders such as Google and Apple through their app stores. These gatekeepers possess significant influence and could do much more to ensure that age verification and content moderation is robust and reliable.”

Last month, Ofcom announced its guidance on age checks to prevent children from accessing harmful content online. Platforms have until July to put the recommendation in place. It forms part of the communications watchdog role in implementing the Online Safety Act.

Poynton also called for more “clarity” on the stance the use of mobile phone in schools.

Both the Scottish and UK governments have guidance in place backing headteachers who decide to ban phones in schools. However, over recent months, pressure has been mounting for the guidance to become law.

During Scottish Labour's annual conference last week, Anas Sarwar pledged to ban mobile phones in schools if he wins next year’s Scottish Parliament election.