Hi there,
As you may have seen, as part of our Rage Against the Screen campaign we’re pushing for the government to do more to protect children from Big Tech’s addictive algorithms. We know that many of you are worried about the effect of social media and smart phones on the health of your kids.
This Friday sees the second reading of the Safer Phones Bill - which, if it becomes law, will raise the age of internet adulthood from 13 to 16, strengthen Ofcom’s powers to protect children from addictive apps, and produce independent public health advice on the impacts of smartphones and social media use on children’s health and wellbeing. You can read more from Josh MacAlister MP about the Bill here.
In order to ensure the Bill continues to make progress through Parliament, we need as many MPs as possible to be at the second reading on Friday. If you’d like to help support the Bill, then please do take a few minutes to write to your MP and encourage them to attend. You can find suggested text below (but please do feel free to personalise!), and check the contact details for your MP here. And please do let us know on the thread if you’ve written (and if you’ve received a response!).
As always, if there's something you think we should be addressing or you'd like to share your views on this issue, drop us a line via [email protected].
Big thanks,
MNHQ
Dear XXX,
I’m writing to ask you to attend the second reading of the Safer Phones Bill in Parliament this Friday (7th March). This Bill is a vital step forward in protecting our children from the worst effects of social media and smartphones.
It’s clear from the thousands of conversations on Mumsnet that parents are increasingly worried about the addictive effect of social media and smartphones on the still-developing brains of their kids. Our children are essentially guinea pigs in a giant experiment, and as time goes on there is more and more evidence to suggest that the results aren’t positive. An increasing amount of research is showing that smartphones, and social media in particular, are negatively impacting children’s mental health.
Parents seeking to protect their children are essentially standing alone against the billion-dollar might of Big Tech - an industry that has no interest in protecting our kids, and designs its products to be as addictive as possible. We need politicians to step up and support parents in protecting their children.
The Safer Phones Bill will raise the age of internet adulthood from 13 to 16, strengthen Ofcom’s powers to protect children from addictive apps, and produce independent public health advice on the impacts of smartphones and social media use on children’s health and wellbeing. Please attend the second reading of the Bill this Friday and show your support.
Yours sincerely,
XXX