Robbed: Big Tech’s Little Victims launches with nationwide media coverage

We’re delighted to share that the launch of Robbed: Big Tech’s Little Victims has already been featured by major national media outlets.

In the media:

• The Independent
• Daily Mail

The campaign has also been covered on BBC Breakfast and highlighted by local newspapers, radio stations and online outlets up and down the country, bringing the issue to communities nationwide.

Our campaign — led by the National Education Union in partnership with a coalition of organisations — calls for stronger protections for children online. We’re urging the government to raise the UK’s digital age of consent from 13 to 16, guarantee curriculum space for digital literacy, levy a windfall tax on social media companies to fund mental health services, and publish clear guidance on the health impacts of social media use.

Polling commissioned for the campaign found that nearly seven in ten people believe social media companies are robbing children and young people of their childhood, with similar numbers saying it exacerbates mental health problems in under-16s. Parents also report children spending less time outdoors or on hobbies and experiencing disrupted sleep because of their online activity.

Alongside the NEU, our coalition includes the Centre for Young Lives, Mumsnet, Parentkind, Reel It In, Health Professionals for Safer Screens, The New Britain Project, school leaders and education specialists. Together we’re pressing for decisive government action to protect children in a digital environment never designed with their safety in mind.

We’ll continue to update supporters on media coverage as our campaign gains momentum.