British MPs have now rejected a proposed ban on social media for children under the age of 16, the BBC reported.
MPs voted 307 to 173 against adding an age limit to the Children’s Health and Schools Act. Conservative peer and former minister John Nash has put forward a proposal to introduce a ban on social media.
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The development comes months after the House of Lords backed the age limit in January this year, proposing to extend the Australian-style ban to under-16s. In December last year, Australia banned social media for under-16s, becoming the first country in the world to do so. The apps that were included in the ban were TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
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Campaigners, including actor Hugh Grant, have called for stronger protections for children online. However, the report suggests that even if the ban was rejected, it could be implemented at a later date as the House of Commons agreed to give the government greater powers to act through the Secretary of State.
Supporters versus critics
Supporters of the ban say parents are in an “impossible position” when trying to protect their children from online harm. Others, including the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCCC), warn that such a law could push teenagers into unregulated parts of the Internet and create new risks.
The Conservative party called the situation an “emergency” and said ministers should pass laws to protect children online.
After parliament rejected the ban, the Liberal Democrats described the decision as “simply not good enough”.
Opponents of the social media ban included the father of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who reportedly committed suicide after seeing harmful content online. Her father argued that the government should focus on ensuring strict enforcement of existing laws rather than implementing a new ban.
The Minister of Education asks the MPs to reject the ban
According to a BBC report on Monday (local time), Education Secretary Olivia Bailey appealed to MPs in the House of Commons to reject the proposed ban introduced in the House of Lords and instead focus on supporting more flexible rules for children using social media.
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Bailey said that while many parents and campaigners had called for a complete ban on social media for under-16s, others, including children’s charities, warned that such a blanket ban could drive teenagers into less regulated “corners of the internet” or leave them unprepared to go online.
“That’s why last week the Government launched a consultation to get views to help shape our next steps and ensure children can grow up with a safer, healthier and more rewarding relationship with the online world,” she said.
The consultation will now focus on whether social media companies should set a minimum age and whether such platforms should turn off addictive features such as autoplay.
The Minister of Education proposes a replacement plan
Bailey proposed an alternative plan in the House of Commons that would give Science Secretary Liz Kendall the power to “restrict or ban children of a certain age from accessing social media services and chatbots”.
Bailey said that in addition, Kendall will have the ability to restrict access to specific features of social media platforms, particularly those that are harmful or addictive. The science secretary would also have the power to restrict children’s access to virtual private networks (VPNs) and adjust the country’s digital age of consent.
The Child Health and Schools Bill will now be sent back to the House of Lords for further peer review and will only become law if the final draft is approved by both houses.
