MP calls for increased minimum age of 16 on social media
"As a father of two boys, I am deeply concerned about the effects on children in this country."
Earlier this week, Machine reported that Parliament is preparing to debate a proposal to ban British children under 16 years old from accessing social media.
Now, the MP leading the debate has issued a passionate call for an urgent rethink of rules that allow children aged 13 and over to access services like X, Meta, TikTok, Instagram and other social networks.
Tony Vaughan, Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe, was elected on 4 July 2024, becoming the first Labour MP to represent the constituency since it was formed in 1950.
He is a high-flying King's Council (KC) who studied law at St Catharine's College, Cambridge.
Vaughan is also a father to two young boys who has become "deeply concerned" about the impact social media is having on young minds.
He told Machine: "We have a moral obligation to act decisively on this issue: not tomorrow or next year but today. Social media should not be accessible to those under 16 unless stringent safeguards are in place."
Instaban: Protecting children from social media
More than 127,000 people have signed a campaign calling for an urgent increase to the minimum age at which children can open up profiles on platforms like X or TikTok. Petitions that gather more than 100,000 signatures automatically trigger a debate.
Vaughan said the onus should be placed on social media companies to show their apps are safe for children, calling for "robust" age verification systems, including measures such as mandatory video verification as well as rigorous ID checks."
He also went one step further by demanding that smartphones should be "child-friendly". This would involve device-level restrictions that lock down phones by default to prevent the download of social media apps without the explicit consent of an adult guardian or secure age verification.
"There is an overwhelmingly one-sided public view on this issue," Vaughan added. "Polling shows that 74% of Britons support raising the minimum age for social media use to 16, while 75% back licensing schemes for child-friendly smartphones.
"As a father of two boys, I am deeply concerned about the effects of social media on children in this country. Social media use is becoming associated with radicalisation, cyberbullying, mental health problems and even suicide.
"More must be done to protect our young people."
Vaughan's outspoken stance is likely to be backed by millions of parents.
Will Labour increase the age limit for social media?
The petition that triggered the debate states that keeping kids off socials would help to stop online bullying, prevent children from "being influenced by false posts," and make sure they cannot engage with content that encourages violence or could be "harmful for their future".
"We believe social media is having more of a negative impact to children than a positive one," the petitioner wrote. "We think people should be of an age where they can make decisions about their life before accessing social media applications.
"We believe that we really need to introduce a minimum age of 16 to access social media for the sake of our children’s future along with their mental and physical health."
However, it does not appear that Labour is willing to consider the proposal.
In December 2024, the government responded to the petition and wrote: "The government is aware of the ongoing debate as to what age children should have smartphones and access to social media. The government is not currently minded to support a ban for children under 16."
The debate to ban under-16s from social media will take place on February 24 in Westminster Hall.
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