Westminster Life: A new deal for children online

The safety and wellbeing of our children is paramount, and government has a key role to play in setting the rules about how we handle these new risks. That’s why the government has this week launched a consultation looking at protecting children online. And on Thursday, I will be speaking at an online safety conference at the Allia Future Business Centre to hear the voices of young people, police and schools as part of the Connecting Cambridgeshire push to tackle online harms collaboratively.

I am receiving more and more emails from parents and carers about the digital world their children inhabit, and concerns about social media’s grip, from endless scrolling that robs sleep to the risks of unchecked AI chatbots.

For too long, government has been playing catch-up with technology that evolves in weeks, not years, failing to keep up and leaving us all exposed as a result. Taking this long to act is simply unacceptable, and this new consultation launched this week aims to change that. It seeks views from parents, young people, and experts on bold steps: a possible minimum age for social media (and what that should be), mandatory shutdowns of sleep-stealing features like infinite scrolls, overnight curfews to safeguard rest, restrictions on children’s unfettered access to AI bots, tougher age verification, and tools to help families thrive digitally. Real-world pilots with families and teens will test these ideas in practice, ensuring they are grounded in reality.

To make sure these ideas can be turned into action quickly, an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will give ministers powers to act swiftly, within months, not years, as technology shifts. That is crucial if we are to keep pace with new platforms and protect children before harms become entrenched.

Here in Peterborough, this debate resonates deeply. I recently ran a poll on my Facebook page asking for your views on a social media ban for under-16s. Of the hundred or so people who replied, around 80% were in favour of a ban, but the comments revealed important nuance: passionate parents arguing it is a family choice, warning that a blunt ban could push kids to darker corners of the web or strip away a vital social space.

Over 14 years, the Tories slashed youth services by 70 per cent in real terms and shuttered more than 1,200 youth centres. Peterborough used to be proud of its youth provision, but a decade of austerity has left youth work cut to the bone. Digital platforms helped fill that void; we cannot ignore their role alongside the harms. That is why this consultation matters: it brings everyone along, children and parents, and seeks to balance protection with opportunity.

As your voice in Westminster, I will keep championing Peterborough’s input to shape rules that keep children safe without stifling connection. I would encourage you to have your say; our children deserve nothing less.