Under-16s face social media ban unless ‘addictive’ features are removed

His bill, backed by former education secretary Kit Malthouse and Helen Hayes, chair of the Commons Education Committee, proposes raising the age at which companies could use children’s data without parental consent from 13 at 16 at present.

This would mean that if companies wanted under-16s on their platforms, they would have to turn off or remove technology and algorithms that used their personal data to target content to them based on their interests.

Under the proposed legislation, online regulator Ofcom would be given extra powers to protect children from apps designed to be addictive. This would see Ofcom draw up a code of conduct to prevent under-16s from being exposed to “addictive by design” apps and services.

The bill, which aims to empower families and teachers to reduce children’s daily smartphone screen time, will also propose introducing a legal requirement for all schools in England to be zones mobile free

In February, schools in England were given guidance under the former Tory government to stop the use of mobile phones during the school day, but it is not currently compulsory.

Mr MacAlister, a former teacher and chief executive of the charity, said: “Evidence is mounting that children on the move for hours a day are causing widespread harm. We need the equivalent of ‘seat belt’ legislation ” for children’s use of social networks.

“Adults have a hard enough time managing screen time, so why do we expect kids to manage this addictive content without shared rules?

“Parents are in an impossible bind over whether to kick their child off social media or expose them to the charms and addiction of the content.

‘National Debate’

“Countries around the world are taking bold steps and our children are at risk of being left behind. Time to have the national debate here in the UK.

“Polls show that parents overwhelmingly support taking action on this issue, and the coalition of experts supporting my bill reflects the views of those who face the consequences of too much time in the screen”.

The bill, which will be published on Wednesday, is also backed by Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner, and her predecessor Anne Longfield, now chief executive of the Center for Young Lives. Baroness Kidron, the online safety campaigner behind the Kids Code also supports the bill.

Peter Kyle, the science secretary, has said he is open to further changes to the legislation to better protect children, although Sir Keir Starmer has suggested he wants to see the impact of the Online Safety Act first.

The Australian government recently announced that it intends to ban social media for children, the US Congress is considering tough rules on addictive design features, and the French government is testing a legal ban on phones in schools.