Major plan to switch off kids' social media while they're at school being looked at
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told The Mirror he is looking 'very carefully' at ways to stop children wasting hours scrolling on their phones after youngsters begged for help
Children could have their access to social media switched off while they're at school under plans being considered by ministers.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle is looking for ways to help kids manage their online lives and stop young people wasting hours doom-scrolling on the internet. The Mirror understands these could include a social media curfew or limiting kids' access to the internet during school hours.
Mr Kyle has said he will be examining the results of TikTok's recently announced 10pm curfew for under 16s. 'I'm looking at all the measures that would positively contribute towards a positive, enthusiastic, supportive environment online,' Mr Kyle told the Mirror.
After years of bureaucratic consultations, media regulator Ofcom published its Children's Codes under the Online Safety Act (OSA), which sets out rules tech firms must follow by July.
Under the codes, online sites must introduce robust age verification tools to make sure underage kids aren't accessing things they shouldn't. They have also been ordered to tame toxic algorithms and take faster action on removing harmful content.
Mr Kyle celebrated the 'first step' in the journey to improving kids' safety online but admitted the OSA is 'lopsided' and more action is needed. He said he was taking a step back to think about how the addictive nature of phones and social media is also 'disrupting the childhood experience', as well as online harms.
'Sometimes it's interfering with young people's sleep or ability to concentrate when they're doing school work, sometimes out of hours, as well as focusing on the school day itself, even though 97% of schools do exclude smartphones from school itself,' he said.
Mr Kyle has confirmed he would not support an Australia-style blanket ban on under-16s using social media and the Government has also ruled out a statutory ban on phones in school, arguing that the majority already enforce one.
But he said he was 'looking very carefully at what comes next' to help the kids who beg him for solutions after suffering from 'resentment' after accidentally wasting hours scrolling on their phone.
Elsewhere Mr Kyle insisted he is confident tech billionaires X/ Twitter owner Elon Musk and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg will follow Ofcom's new rules despite the pair having recently rolled back content moderation on their platforms.
The Cabinet minister said anyone who breaks the codes will 'face the full consequences of the British law' - which can include fines of up to 10% of global turnover from Ofcom or, in extreme cases, their platforms being switched off in the UK.
He also said Britain's online safety laws were not up for negotiation amid fears the Donald Trump administration is pushing for them to be eased in UK-US trade deal talks. Concerns have been raised about the leeway social media giants will have to work around Ofcom's codes.
For instance, the media regulator is only telling tech firms they have the 'option of excluding' content showing dangerous online challenges, material that incites hatred or misogynistic content.
In an interview with the Mirror, Ofcom's child protection policy lead Almudena Lara said tech companies will be able to choose whether to exclude such content from being pushed to kids through their algorithms to give them the freedom to show different content to older teens and younger children.
'The ball is in their courts to understand their user base and to understand the content that they have and how best to serve their users,' she said.
Ian Russell, the dad of Molly Russell, who took her own life at 14 after being bombarded with harmful material online, said he was 'dismayed' by Ofcom's codes and that he has lost trust in Mr Kyle.
"I am dismayed by the lack of ambition in today's codes. Instead of moving fast to fix things, the painful reality is that Ofcom's measures will fail to prevent more young deaths like my daughter Molly's,' he said.
'Ofcom's risk adverse approach is a bitter pill for bereaved parents to swallow. Their overly cautious codes put the bottom line of reckless tech companies ahead of tackling preventable harm.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer to chair emergency COBRA meeting after US strikes Iran
We'll be bringing you the latest updates on this Breaking Politics News story Keir Starmer will chair an emergency COBRA meeting today after the US bombed sites in Iran leaving the Middle East on the brink. Overnight bunker-busting missiles were dropped from American B-2 stealth bombers, including on Iran's Fordow nuclear site, which Donald Trump said had been "totally obliterated". The massive escalation in the Middle East conflict came just days after the US President said he would decide within two weeks whether the US would become involved. Tehran has vowed to respond despite warnings from Mr Trump any retaliation by Iran would be met "with force far greater than what was witnessed" on Sunday morning. In recent days Mr Starmer has been pushing world leaders to de-escalate to prevent an all-out war in the region. And just days ago he also suggested the US would not become involved militarily in the conflict between Israel and Iran. In a statement on Sunday morning, Mr Starmer added: "Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat. 'The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.' Defence Secretary John Healey added: "The US has taken action to alleviate the grave threat that Iran poses to global security. The UK did not participate in these strikes. "The safety of UK personnel and bases is my top priority. Force protection is at its highest level and we deployed additional jets this week." It came as Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the American strikes in the early hours of Sunday were an "unforgivable violation of international law". "My country has been under attack, under aggression, and we have to respond, based on our legitimate right to self-defence," he added. We'll be bringing you the latest updates on this Breaking Politics News story. Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story HERE. Get email updates on the day's biggest stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our newsletters. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by following The Mirror every time you see our name.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Former SAS soldier turned MP is praised for his extraordinary response to anti-war heckler slamming Australia's support of Iran strikes
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Andrew Hastie has been commended for his response to a heckler who interrupted his speech on the US bomb strikes in the Middle East. The 42-year-old former military commander on Sunday said the Coalition backed the strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, carried out by the Trump administration overnight. 'We do support the United Sates, and the Albanese government should be supporting the United States as well,' Hastie said at a press conference. Later in the speech, Hastie said the Coalition stood in solidarity with the Iranian people, but criticised the country's authoritarian regime as 'sponsoring terrorism'. A protestor in the crowd was then picked up on news microphones yelling, 'Oh come on, the United States of America is the most terrorist country in the world'. Other crowd members turned on the woman and told her to keep quiet. Hastie, however, swiftly stepped in and appeared to encourage the interruption. 'It's a free country,' he told the crowd. 'She's allowed to say what she likes.' Footage of the moment quickly spread online, where the Liberal MP for Canning was praised by viewers for his response to the woman's protest. '(He was) level-headed, well-spoken,' one person said. Another agreed, saying they thought Hastie appeared 'very tolerant and professional with the protester'. 'He's seen the worst of the worst,' a third wrote, referencing Hastie's time as a troop commander in the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), 'so one protester matters little'. In his speech, Hastie declared support the US strikes, describing them as justified in the current security climate. 'We do not want war, but we believe this was a necessary action to take by the United States military. 'President (Donald) Trump gave the offer of negotiations and over the last two days, the Iranians have not taken up that offer. 'So the coalition stands in solidarity with the Iranian people. We regret the loss of life in Iran and Israel and we hope for a peaceful settlement going forward.' He also criticised the Albanese government's stance on the conflict. 'I think they've been far too ambiguous,' he said. 'The United States is a close ally. The United States has a key role in reestablishing order and peace in the Middle East. 'Iran by contrast is a regime that sponsors terrorism. It sponsored Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. It's taken actions against Israel.' The United States launched air strikes on three nuclear facilities inside Iran over the weekend. The attacks marked a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. President Donald Trump confirmed the US launched air strikes on three nuclear facilities inside Iran on Sunday morning (Australian time). The strikes came after years of hostility between Iran and Israel intensified into open aerial conflict earlier this month. Iranian officials said the facilities hit were at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan – key sites in the country's nuclear program. Commentators on international law and the Greens criticised the strikes as illegal under international law. A spokesman for the Albanese government urged 'de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.' 'We note the US President's statement that now is the time for peace,' a statement read.
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Daily Record
Keir Starmer responds to US bombing of Iran's nuclear sites as he sends warning
Overnight bunker-busting missiles were dropped from American B-2 stealth bombers on number of targets in Iran included their Fordow nuclear site. Keir Starmer has warned Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon - as the US bombed three key nuclear sites in a massive escalation of the Middle East conflict. Overnight bunker-busting missiles were dropped from American B-2 stealth bombers on a number of targets in Iran including their Fordow nuclear site. The attack came despite calls for a diplomatic solution, The Mirror reports. It is understood the UK was involved in the strikes which came after the Prime Minister repeatedly pushed for de-escalation in the Middle East. In a statement on Sunday morning, Mr Starmer said: "Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security. Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat. 'The situation in the Middle East remains volatile and stability in the region is a priority. We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.' Just days ago Mr Starmer suggested at the G7 summit in Canada the US would not become involved militarily in the conflict between Iran and Israel. "There is nothing the President said that suggests he's about to get involved in this conflict, on the contrary, the G7 statement was about de-escalation," he told reporters on Tuesday. Buisness Secretary also Jonathan Reynolds reiterated the PM's call for a diplomatic solution on Sunday. He told Sky News: "I know people will be waking up this morning, and they'll be worried. They'll want to know what this means. "And I do want to give them reassurance that whilst the British government, the UK has not been involved in these attacks, we have been making extensive preparations for all eventualities, including how we look after British nationals in the region and how we get them out, and the assets we have in the region to protect British infrastructure, British bases, British personnel if we need to do that." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Overnight, Mr Trump posted on Truth Social, saying: "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. "All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow." Mr Trump also warned the regime in Tehran from retaliating against the US, saying it would be met "with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight". But Iran said the attack would have "everlasting consequences". Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the country "reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest and people". He added: "The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations. "The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour."
