MPs urge next UK government to consider banning smartphones for under-16s – The Register

A committee of MPs has urged the next government to consider a total ban on smartphones for under-16s in the UK.

The UK has seen an increase in screen time among young children since the pandemic, but systems designed to protect them from harmful content are not fit for purpose, according to a report from a panel of education of the House of Commons.

The Education Select Committee found no evidence that 13-year-olds could understand the implications of allowing platforms to access their personal data online. Despite this, the age verification system was largely ignored, the report said, based on a series of hearings.

He called on the next UK government – ​​a UK general election will be held in July – to consult on raising the digital age of consent and recommend 16 as a more appropriate age.

The committee found that children’s screen time increased by 52% between 2020 and 2022, while a quarter of children and young people appeared addicted to their devices.

A fifth of children aged three to four have their own mobile phone, compared to one in four to eight year olds. Nearly all children own a device by the age of 12, according to the report.

In February this year, the government gave new guidelines banning smartphones from schools for under-16s. The commission said the government should monitor the effectiveness of the guidelines and prepare to introduce statutory measures if they do not work.

Education committee chairman Robin Walker said: “Without urgent action, more children will be put at risk. From exposure to pornography to criminal gangs using online platforms to recruit children, the online world presents serious dangers. Parents and schools face an uphill battle. and the government must do more to help them meet this challenge. This could require radical measures, such as potentially a ban on smartphones for those under 16,” he said.

“While there may be some benefits to the online world and the sharing of information or interests with peers, easy, unsupervised, and unrestricted access to the Internet leaves children vulnerable, exposing them to a world they may not understand. are not equipped. Their safeguarding and protection must be our priority,” he said.

As well as calling on the next government to recommend 16 as a more appropriate age of digital consent, the report calls for more effective enforcement of the rules.

In October last year, the UK introduced the Online Safety Act, which states that technology companies must prevent illegal content from spreading on their platforms and that they have a responsibility to remove it when they are identified. It also requires effective age verification of children online. Controversially, the law also requires platform providers to bypass encryption, which critics say is unenforceable.

The select committee’s report said the new legislation gives the government the power to fine, or even jail, executives of companies that break its rules.

He called on the general election winner to consider how laws could be used against social media companies that knowingly break age verification requirements and expose children to addictive content that is not suitable for them.

However, researchers argued, supported by evidence regarding young people’s use of digital technology, that banning smartphones at an arbitrary age would not make young people safer or happier.

In April, Ofcom found that almost a quarter of children aged five to seven were using social media without supervision.

In its annual study into children’s relationships with media and the online world, the UK’s telecoms regulator said young schoolchildren are increasingly connected and their parents enjoy greater digital independence.

The proportion of children aged five to seven using social media rose from 30 per cent last year to 38 per cent in Ofcom’s 2024 survey. Many of the most popular apps on the market saw big increases during the same period: WhatsApp usage increased from 29% to 37%; TikTok from 25 percent to 30 percent; and Instagram from 14 percent to 22 percent. ®