Social media restrictions for under 16s should extend to video games, says children’s commissioner
Any new restrictions on youngsters using social media should be extended to video games, according to Dame Rachel de Souza.
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The Children's Commissioner of England warned that gaming has become a problem area posing huge risks to the safety of young users.
She called for any restrictions that could be imposed on social media - which could be banned for under 16s following a Government consultation - to also apply to these platforms.
“Our boys often aren't on social media. They're often spending three or four hours a day gaming,” she warmed.
“And those games often have features that allow a 55-year-old in Arizona to come in and speak to a nine-year-old.”
“I wouldn’t be calling it a ban of children – I’d be calling it a ban and restriction on services that are not suitable for under-18s,” Dame De Souza told Sky News.
It comes after Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said a ban on social media “definitely on the table”.
Read more: Nine in 10 parents back social media ban for children, says Technology Secretary
Ministers are considering a ban on social media for under-16s and more than 80,000 people have responded to a consultation on whether to introduce restrictions.
One option is an Australian-style ban that forbids children under 16 from having social media accounts.
Other proposals in the consultation are app curfews and limits on more addictive features.
In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said a ban was “definitely on the table” as she revealed nine in 10 parents had backed Australian-style restrictions.
She said: “It’s been a really overwhelming response from parents, and I think parents are crying out for help and support.
“They know that there are some good things that kids can get from it (social media) but they are worried about what they’re seeing.”
Some 42,410 parents responded to the consultation, suggesting tens of thousands have backed a ban.
Ms Kendall’s comments are the strongest indication yet that the Government is preparing to introduce a ban.
Sir Keir Starmer pledged action within “weeks, not months” at a meeting on Tuesday with parents of children whose deaths were linked to social media.
But Scotland’s children’s commissioner, Nicola Killean, has questioned the effectiveness of a ban, saying it would do “little to address underlying issues such as exploitative algorithms”.
In her submission to the UK Government’s consultation, she said evidence on bans was “limited, mixed and still emerging”, adding: “Blanket restrictions can risk shifting responsibility away from platforms and on to children.”