Over recent weeks, I have been contacted by parents across Croydon who are deeply worried about the impact social media is having on their children. As a parent myself, I share those concerns.
What we are seeing cannot be brushed aside. Too many children are being exposed, at a very young age, to content that affects their confidence, their behaviour, their learning and their mental health. Many platforms are deliberately designed to keep users hooked. When those users are children, that should concern all of us.
In most areas of life, we take a common-sense approach to protecting young people. We place age limits on activities we know can cause harm. Yet online, the safeguards parents expect have steadily weakened. Children can now be exposed to violent material, sexual content and contact from strangers in ways that would never be acceptable offline.
Parents should always play the leading role in guiding their children, but many families are telling me they feel they are being left to manage this alone. That is not fair. Asking one family to opt out while everyone else stays in risks isolating children and putting parents in an impossible position.
That is why I support calls to restrict social media use for under-16s. Not to attack technology, and not to restrict adults, but to set clear, enforceable boundaries that put children first. This sits alongside the push to remove smartphones from schools and reflects a simple principle: children need space to grow, learn and develop without constant digital pressure.
This issue cannot be kicked into the long grass. Parents want action now.
This week, Parliament took an important step when the House of Lords backed an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to protect under-16s from social media. That progress has only happened because parents, teachers and communities have spoken up and demanded change.
There is more to do. The issue will now return to the House of Commons, and the Government will have to decide whether it is prepared to act decisively in the interests of children.
If you believe childhood should be protected, I would encourage you to add your voice. You can find out more, sign up to support the campaign, and share it with others here:
I will continue to speak up for families in Croydon and support efforts that put children’s wellbeing first.