Former Ofcom chairman suggests 'temporary' social media ban for under-16s which would be reviewed after two years
Lord Michael Grade said the technology companies "don't really tackle" the issues head-on
The former chairman of Ofcom has told LBC he wants to see a social media ban for under-16s, but only as a temporary measure for the government to review after two years.
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Lord Michael Grade, 83, said the action would act as a "wake-up call" for social media companies after previously having taken "absolutely no responsibility" for the effects on children.
It comes just days after bereaved families took to Downing Street to urge Sir Keir Starmer to restrict social media use for children until the "companies responsible have fixed it and proven it is safe".
Speaking to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Lord Grade, whose term as Ofcom chairman ended in April after four years, said: "I believe it's [a ban] is worth a try.
Read more: I'm a cybersecurity expert - my daughter won’t have social media until she’s 16
"It's very hard turning the tech companies around from taking no responsibility whatsoever for the harm that they can cause through their products, their websites and social media and so on.
"So I think this would be a wake-up call for them and the only thing I would say let's not make it permanent.
"Let's review it in two or three years and have Parliament have another look at it, if that's what we want to do. But I think it's worth a try."
After hosting the families at No10 on Tuesday, the Prime Minister tasked the Government with putting together "a game-changer" policy to tackle social media harms affecting children.
He also pledged a crackdown "very quickly" after a consultation to help the Government decide what action it should take, titled Growing Up In The Online World, closed.
Lord Grade added: "It seems to me the game that the tech companies play is they acknowledge the harm they cause, but they don't really tackle it head-on.
"They, they keep announcing they're going to do this, they're going to change that, they're going to put in systems, they're going to.
"But there doesn't seem to be a wholesale acceptance that the harm that's caused has to be stopped. They have the technology to stop it, they've just got to get on with it.
"Ofcom is doing a fantastic job getting changes all the time from the tech companies, either through strong-arm tactics or through their voluntary but it doesn't feel wholehearted to me."
Earlier this year, LBC revealed that Ofcom had so far recovered just £55,000 of fines out of over £3million imposed on companies in breach of child safety laws.
But the non-affiliated peer told Nick that the regulator had been on the "front foot with the tech companies and has been very successful in getting changes".
Ofcom brought in the Online Safety Act in 2023 which provided a regulatory framework to make internet services regulated and safer.
Its effective age assurance law also came into force last July, which made it mandatory for pornography sites to use robust age checks to prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate content.
Lord Grade insisted the outstanding fines would be paid and added: "I think there will come a moment in the next year or two where the government and Parliament will want to revisit the act."