APPG on Youth Affairs holds joint session with the APPG on Political and Media Literacy to discuss social media restriction consultation

The APPG on Youth Affairs was delighted to partner with the APPG on Political and Media Literacy to hold a joint meeting on the Government’s consultation on potential age-based restrictions for social media and other digital services. On Monday 13 April, we welcomed nearly 90 people to Parliament to discuss the issue, and over a dozen young people gave short speeches on their thoughts on the restrictions and what they think the Government should do to protect young people online.

Chair of the APPG on Youth Affairs Natasha Irons MP welcomed everyone to the meeting, setting out the Government’s proposals and what is being asked in the consultation. She was joined by APPG Officer David Williams, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, as well as APPG Members Jim Dickson, MP for Dartford, Gareth Snell, MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, and Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen (also a member of the APPG on Political and Media Literacy).

Panellists included Charlton Brown, Programme Coordinator and Impact Lead at Shout Out UK, Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, and Professor Victoria Goodyear, Professor of Physical Activity, Health and Wellbeing at the University of Birmingham. They spoke about the positives and negatives of social media, with Andy Burrows referencing new research by the Molly Rose Foundation on the ban in Australia, which they have found not to be very effective. The need for more digital literacy in schools, as well as general support and advice for young people was highlighted to help them navigate the digital world. Charlton Brown noted the differences in opinion about the proposed restrictions among young people, although adding that many staff members seem in favour. Professor Goodyear said that the evidence about banning phones in school was not clear cut in terms out outcomes for young people.

Thirteen young people were selected from sector organisations to give short speeches on their views of the proposed restrictions, the challenges facing young people, and the solutions they think would help protect young people online. Organisations represented included Fair Education Alliance, Sea Cadets, Girlguiding, Essex County Council Youth Service, Girl’s Brigade, Connect Futures, and Shout Out UK. All of the young people who spoke highlighted both the good and bad of social media. Benefits of it were shown to be that it can provide an opportunity to connect with others, particularly for those more isolated. It also provides a third space where there may not be a physical third space in someone’s local area. Also, there are many opportunities to learn new skills, and social media can be where some industries can thrive.

The young people were fairly unanimous in their opinion that they didn’t think a full ban on social media would be a good idea, or an effective one. Most said that young people would be able to find a way around a ban if it was implemented, and that banning social media would simply make their use of it more dangerous, pushing them into less regulated spaces with less oversight.

However, the young people also recognised the dangers of social media, and most advocated for some action to be taken to protect young people and reduce the potential harm. Most young people pushed for social media and technology companies to be held to account, further regulated, and made to prioritise young people’s wellbeing over profits. Additionally, the importance of more digital literacy education was highlighted several times, as well as making sure young people’s voices are heard in the process of regulating companies and social media more generally.

The points made in this meeting, along with the questions posed and concerns raised will be collated and then submitted to Government as part of their consultation process. We also collected feedback via a QR code at the session, which will also be fed into our response. A link to the Government’s consultation can be found here, and young people are welcome to respond to this directly.