MPs reject Lords-backed social media ban for a second time

MPs have rejected calls to ban children from social media by default for a second time.

By a majority of 256 to 150, 106, they sided with the Government on its plan to tackle social media-related harm affecting children.

Under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, ministers will gain flexible power to restrict children’s social media use with curfews, scrolling limits and restrictions on location sharing.

The government may also choose to block people under the age of 16 from accessing certain platforms.

A consultation meeting, which ends next month, has been held to help ministers decide what action they should take.

Former Conservative minister Lord Nash had proposed that children be banned by default from using social media platforms deemed harmful with a 12-month window, and his peers initially agreed.

MPs in the House of Commons, where the government has a majority, voted to reject it in favor of flexible powers last month, before the Lords insisted on a default ban.

But as part of the process of agreeing the final text of the bill, sometimes known as ping pong, MPs agreed to once again support the Government’s position.

Education minister Olivia Bailey told the House of Commons: “Instead of the narrow change proposed in the House of Lords, our consultations allow us to consider a much wider range of services and features.”

He promised that the government would not conduct “endless rounds of consultations”.

Conservative shadow education minister Laura Trott said: “I will continue to fight against the bill until the government bans social media.”

Explaining the harms thought to be linked to social media, Trott told MPs that “when young girls post dance videos, they have learned that the way they get approval comes from outside, not from within”.

He continued: “Children quickly learn that they like equal approval, they learn that attention brings status, and they often discover that sexually explicit content gets the most attention.

“This reshapes how young people view themselves and their values. If children spend significant time posting dance videos on social media, especially from a young age, they begin to rely too much on the opinions of others rather than their own judgment.”

Ms Trott warned that some children were dying as a result of dangerous social media trends such as fainting challenges, which could involve drowning.

Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrats’ education spokeswoman, warned ministers could choose not to take action at all.

He told MPs that the Government’s proposed wording in the Bill “only says they can make provisions to solve these problems, not that they will”.

Labor MPs have called on the Government to act quickly after ministers receive the new powers.

“I support the government’s desire to take action,” said John Whitby.

The Labor MP for Derbyshire Dales added: “We need to get on with this.

“I call on everyone to complete the consultation and urge the Government to act promptly after the consultation ends on 26 May.”

Peter Prinsley, Labor MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket, said he supported the Government’s position.

“But I think the House needs to take seriously, very seriously, the things that your Lordships have asked us to consider,” he said.

“If the government is not willing to accept the change in its current form, then I believe there is a strong case for putting forward its own proposal, which achieves the same result in a clear and timely manner, because ultimately this is about setting the right boundaries for children in a very rapidly evolving digital world.

“And there is a clear expectation within and outside the House that we need to take action on this issue.”

The Lords should consider the Commons’ position once again before the bill becomes law and peers can continue the bickering between the two Houses.

Lord Nash said he “intends to tell the Government once again that our position has not changed.”

He said: “The government’s approach is to sit back, let the losses mount further and make a statement six months later.

“How can this mean effective action in the face of daily changing technology?

“It would be a very small step for the government to now propose to delay the age of access to harmful social media to 16, and the consultation could then be about how to do this, as well as the very important area of ​​AI chatbots, assistants and VPNs, and other issues it covers.”

MPs on Wednesday also voted by 254 to 144, a majority of 110, to reject a review of the proposed limit on branded school uniform products within 12 months.

A proposal to ban smartphones during the school day was blocked by 248 votes to 139, a majority of 109, but school leaders in England face the new task of heeding Government guidance on mobile phone use in educational settings.