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Big Tech’s Little Victims welcomes Lib Dem action but calls for comprehensive protections for children online
The Big Tech’s Little Victims campaign welcomes Sir Ed Davey and the Liberal Democrats’ willingness to speak out on online harms to children, including by calling out social media bosses by name. This reflects a growing recognition that children are being harmed by unregulated social media platforms and by executives who prioritise profit over protection.
But children cannot be safeguarded by rhetoric alone. Without firm restrictions and enforcement, the same harms will continue every day.
Warnings are welcome, but a ban would protect
We also acknowledge the Liberal Democrats’ proposals for cigarette-style health warnings and “doomscrolling caps” on social media. These measures show an understanding that addictive algorithms damage children’s wellbeing.
Yet there is a clear contradiction at the heart of this debate: cigarettes and alcohol are not only labelled, they are banned for under-16s. If politicians truly believe social media poses comparable risks, they should be prepared to support a similar age ban or strict age-gating for under-16s. Without that, warnings risk becoming window dressing rather than meaningful protection.
A generation being robbed
Every day, children are being robbed of their time, their focus, their joy and their innocence by platforms engineered to exploit their vulnerabilities. Instead of growing up freely, they are navigating a digital world never designed to protect them. Big Tech treats young people’s distress as currency and their attention as a product. This is why Big Tech’s Little Victims is fighting to give childhood back to children, and why leaders must act now.
Time for stronger measures
Big Tech’s Little Victims calls for the UK Government and all political parties to:
- Raise the minimum age for social media access to 16. Current platforms are not safe for children; polling shows nearly three-quarters of the public support a higher age limit.
- Mandate digital literacy in all schools. Young people need to understand and challenge the forces shaping their online world.
- Introduce a targeted levy on tech giants. Over two-thirds of the public support using a tax on these companies to fund urgently needed youth mental health services.
Until leaders act with the same urgency as they would for any other product that harms children, young people will continue to be left exposed online.
Header image: “Copy of 1O8A4843” by Liberal Democrats, CC BY-ND 2.0
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