I have been contacted by a large number of constituents asking for my views
regarding young people and their access to social media. I thought it might be useful
if I set out in a little detail my thinking. I do so, not just as your Member of
Parliament but, and perhaps more importantly in the context of this issue, as a father
of three teenage daughters.
Many of us will remember the massive excitement when the new digital world hit
our lives. A brave new world beckoned. It has become, for many a nightmare. Young
people glued to screens. Friendship defined by followers and likes rather than
reality. Bullying becoming a 24 hour phenomenon for too many young people as it
moves from school to home. Clear “m9 demonstrable harm to many people‘s mental
health. And it not just mental, sitting around staring at a screen isolates too many
people from the world around them. Populism and extremism is given free rein with
the tone of echo chambers becoming ever more strident. A Fear of Missing Out is
omnipresent. Necessary skills of face to face communication, participating in team
sports, building real friendships with real people are all being noliced out. I fear
that future generations will look back with the horror we do about putting boys up
chimneys and children working in factories, and think: what the Hell were those
parents and decision makers doing? The canon of evidence of the negative impact of
social media on us all is growing. Too many parents glue themselves to their screens
and emails rather than creating proper batty time. We have to look at ourselves
before we lecture our young.
I have been following with interest what is being done in Australia and consider it
has great merit. The challenge for us here in the UK is of course where these social
media companies are based and by whom and how they are regulated. This is not an
easy arena to legislate effectively in. It is one however, where I am convinced we
must act for the Benefit of our young people on so many levels. Rest assured I shall
support any proposals that the Government brings in. My Party Leader, Kemi
Badenoch, has pledged to bring in a ban on under 16s using social media if we are
returned to Government. I hope Parliament takes a collegiate and cross-Party view
on this issue. Unlike Reform, none of us are compromised by our relationships with
Elon Musk, so we do have a free hand. The time for action is now. Doing nothing, in
my judgement, is now, not an option.
Simon Hoare MP
Working Hard for North Dorset
Westminster: 020 7219 2787
Constituency: 01258 452585
Email: simon. [email protected]
