Labour faced allegations today of giving in to tech giants and disregarding the well-being of our youth by watering down legislation that would have prohibited the use of smartphones in schools.
Proposed legislation, known as the Safer Phones Bill, has been introduced to Parliament by Labour backbencher Josh McAlister.
The proposed law is designed to shield individuals under the age of 16 from potentially addictive social media material found on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, as well as deter them from endlessly scrolling through their mobile devices.
If passed into law, it would instruct UK chief medical officers to publish advice for parents on the use of smartphones and social media by children.
Furthermore, it would require government officials to announce within a twelve-month period whether they intend to increase the age at which minors can provide consent for the dissemination of their personal information without parental authorization.
But Mr MacAlister and the Government today faced anger over the watering-down of his initial proposals following talks with ministers.
The Whitehaven and Workington MP had originally planned for his private members’ bill to call for a legal requirement to make all schools in England mobile-free zones.
Mr MacAlister also wanted to commit the Government to review further regulation of the design, supply, marketing and use of smartphones by under-16s.
Labour ministers, including Sir Chris Bryant, have been accused of ‘capitulating’ to tech giants and ‘betraying our children’ by ‘gutting’ proposed laws
Proposed legislation, known as the Safer Phones Bill, has been introduced to Parliament by Labour backbencher Josh McAlister
Tory MP Kit Malthouse, the former education secretary, told the House of Commons he lamented ‘the gutting of what could have been a landmark Bill’
As MPs debated the Bill’s second reading, Tory MP Kit Malthouse claimed the officially-titled Protection of Children Bill was now a ‘hollowed-out gesture’.
The former education secretary told the House of Commons he lamented ‘the gutting of what could have been a landmark Bill’
Mr Malthouse claimed the Government had ‘dithered, diluted and capitulated’, adding: ‘We should all be furious about this.
‘We should all be furious about the delay and the prevarication that is being injected into what could have been a huge step forward for parents and children.
‘I cannot then understand why the Government has pressured (Mr MacAlister) to produce what is, frankly, a cosmetic plug, betraying our children and capitulating to big tech.
‘I’m afraid this Bill is a shell of what it could have been, and as a result, is yet another missed opportunity to improve the lives of our young people.’
Fellow Tory MP Sir Ashley Fox said he suspected a Government whip had told Mr MacAlister ‘he had a very promising career ahead of him should he agree to do the right thing and water this legislation down to the point where it doesn’t actually do very much at all’.
Intervening, Mr MacAlister said: ‘Private members’ Bills are often a shot in the dark, and my aim from the beginning of this process has been, yes, to have the national debate.
‘But also to put all of my energy on landing this with some action and progress.’
The Bill aims to protect under-16s from addictive social media content on sites like TikTok and Snapchat and prevent them ‘doom scrolling’ on their phones
Sir Ashley added there is ‘nothing in this Bill that requires legislation’ and Mr MacAlister ‘should be a little bit ashamed of having campaigned so vigorously and then presented this Bill’.
Caroline Voaden, the Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, said she hoped the Bill marks ‘the first step in a journey which will be far-reaching and hopefully fairly swift’.
She said: ‘I know I am not alone to be somewhat disappointed that the Bill we see today is but a shadow of its former self, and that the Government has been so timid in what it is willing to do to try and save our children and young people from something that is clearly causing them considerable harm.’
Speaking in support of his Bill, Mr MacAlister – a former teacher – told MPs that the average 12-year-old spends 21 hours a week on their smartphone
‘This is a fundamental rewiring of childhood itself and it’s happened in little over a decade,’ he added.
‘We must act on excessive screen time today in the same way we acted on smoking back then, and like debates that were had on smoking and car seatbelts, it took a process of legislation rather than one ‘big bang’ event.
‘That’s why starting today with these initial steps and then following them through with major action soon will be so important.’
Data protection minister Sir Chris Bryant said he was ‘not going to make any arguments today against action’.
‘Everybody accepts that action is inevitable in this sphere,’ he added.
Sir Chris said the Government was working to implement the already-passed Online Safety Act ‘as fast as we possibly can’
He added that illegal content codes will come into force this month, with new duties on social media companies to detect and remove some content including child sexual abuse and terrorism material.
He said children’s safety codes are ‘nearly finalised’, and told the Commons that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is running a feasibility study into the impact of smartphones and social media, due to report in May, so ministers ‘have all the information that we need to make a considered view’.
MPs agreed to adjourn the debate, which will be listed to resume on July 11.
