It’s time for a national conversation about social media and our children

I’m a dad, and like any parent, I spend a lot of time worrying about my kids. However, in the digital age, with more services moving online and smartphones, tablets and computers part of our daily lives, these worries now include making sure they are safe online.

Many of you have contacted me about the effects that the constant connectivity, online content and social media use can have on children's wellbeing, concentration, sleep and relationships.

Our children should be able to spend more time with family and friends, and focus on school, without being pulled into endless scrolling.

When our kids are out and about, we want them to be safe. We want them to tell us when they’ll be home from the park and to look both ways when crossing the road.

It’s time for us to start having these conversations about our kids’ relationships with phones, social media and ultimately how to keep them safe.

That’s why the Government has launched a national conversation on children and social media – looking at how young people use their phones, the risks they encounter online and what more can be done to support healthier and safer digital habits.

This conversation brings together parents, teachers, experts and young people themselves to build a clearer picture of the challenges and opportunities ahead.

It will look at the option of banning social media for children under 16 and raising the digital age of consent to stop companies using children’s data without their consent or their parent’s consent. It will also look at a range of other options, from overnight curfews to more rigorous enforcement of age verification.

It also means looking at what other countries have done too. I know from reading my emails, letters and Facebook comments that many of you have questions about Australia, where they have recently banned social media for under-16s.

It is crucial that we learn from these countries and their experiences, so that this consultation is evidence-led.

Because like all parents, I want us to get this right. That means listening to a range of voices, so that we can seize the opportunities technology and social media have for us in the modern world - whilst protecting the youngest and most vulnerable.

And to be clear, this conversation isn’t about if the Government will act - because we will - instead, this consultation gives you an opportunity to shape the next steps and the action that needs to happen.

There are great positives to social media and mobile phones, they help us stay in contact with friends no matter where they are and allow us to connect with like-minded people.

But if we are to give our children the childhood they deserve and prepare them for the future, these are the discussions we, as a society, need to have, and we need to have them now.

Our children are the next generation. Let’s give them the tools and support they need for now and for the future.