If the government is going to strengthen the Online Safety Act, banning social media for under-16s is not the answer
In the six years since my youngest daughter Molly died, it is striking how little has changed. Children and young people continue to face a wave of inherently preventable online harms on often negligent social media platforms. In a ferocious battle for market share, the risks on sites such as Instagram and TikTok have, in some respects, become worse.
It is therefore no surprise that there is a considerable groundswell in demands for much more to be done. Across the UK, grassroots parents’ groups are increasingly calling for a fundamental reset in the relationship between children and their smartphone use.
Ian Russell is an internet safety campaigner and chair of the Molly Rose Foundation
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