Kent parents called on to fill in national online safety consultation
Landmark consultation seeks to enhance safeguards for children's digital wellbeing
Sojan Joseph, the MP for Ashford, Hawkinge, and the Villages, is encouraging parents, guardians, and young people to engage in the UK's pioneering consultation aimed at advancing children's digital wellbeing.
This consultation, regarded as the most ambitious of its kind globally, seeks public insights on protecting children from potential online harms, spanning social media, AI chatbots, and gaming platforms.
With 20 years of experience in NHS mental health services, Mr Joseph has been a staunch advocate for intensified online safeguards to shield young people’s mental health.
The consultation will scrutinize expansive options, some unheard of in other countries, such as curfews for 16- to 17-year-olds to enhance their wellbeing.
Key considerations include setting minimum age limits for social media, disabling addictive features like infinite scrolling, mandating overnight curfews for children, regulating AI chatbot usage, reinforcing age verification, and identifying areas where digital literacy support is needed for parents and children.
"I saw the impact of social media on young people’s mental health during my time at the NHS," said Mr Joseph.
His advocacy for robust safeguards stems from the observed link between increased social media use and cases of anxiety and depression.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall underscored the necessity of balancing the online world with traditional childhood experiences.
We know parents are grappling with screen time and its impact on children," Liz Kendall said.
The three-month consultation, closing 26th May, is open to parents, carers, children, and those involved with children's welfare.
Specialized versions cater to young people and parents, facilitating easier engagement in the consultation process.
The government will review feedback during the summer, with aims to swiftly enact measures based on the collected evidence.
The consultation details can be accessed via 'Growing up in the online world: a national consultation' on GOV.UK.