Children "exposed to extreme violent content": North Bedfordshire MP calls on social media ban for under 16s
Richard Fuller is urging constituents to sign a petition to set a minimum age for social media.
The Tory MP for North Beds says he’s received many emails from voters in support of the ban.
He said: “Through social media, children and young people can be exposed to extreme violent content, sexual material and online strangers in ways that would never be accepted in the real world. British children spend almost three hours a day online, with 70% of them seeing videos of real-life violence.
“Over the past decade, as smartphone and social media use have increased, there has been a sharp increase in anxiety, isolation, self-harm, and poor sleep among young people, which has knock-on effects for learning and behaviour.
“It is for these reasons that the Leader of HM Opposition, Kemi Badenoch, and the shadow Education Secretary, Laura Trott, have led the way in calling on the Government to help protect children from these harms by implementing a minimum age requirement for social media.”
The Government announced a three-month consultation on January 19 which has yet to launch.