UK to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children’s smartphones Source: The Guardian

 

UK legislation which aims to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children’s smartphones will be published after talks failed to produce a resolution via dialogue.

The legislation commitment puts ministers on a collision course with two of the biggest players in Silicon Valley, months after the government announced a social media ban for under-16s.

This position was reached after Apple and Google failed to reach a rsolution after a three month period and government legislation will be introduced to parliament  in the coming months.

Read the full story here. 

New evidence on online harms affecting children Source: Source: Youth Justice Board

 

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has today published a comprehensive new 'Evidence and Insights Pack' on Online Harms Affecting Children. 

The Evidence and Insights Pack brings together the latest research, data, and practice examples from across England and Wales to improve our understanding of the risks children face online and how we safeguard them in an increasingly complex digital landscape.

The evidence pack highlights that while online platforms are central to children’s lives, they expose them to severe, overlapping risks:

• Children face a wide range of digital harms, including cyberbullying, sexual abuse, radicalisation, and exploitation.
• Exposure to harmful content and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images have become increasingly normalised among children, disproportionately affecting girls.
• Many children who engage in problematic online behaviours have complex needs or are themselves victims of abuse.
• Inadequate platform design features and a lack of digital literacy among adults significantly increases risk and hinder effective safeguarding.
• Online harms have long-lasting impacts on wellbeing and, for some children, are directly linked to involvement in offline violence.

 Access to Evidence and Insights pack here.

 

School smartphone bans seen as ‘punitive’ by young people, study says Source: The Guardian

 This report from The Guardian reports on a study undertaken by University College London. The report suggests that outright smartphone bans may have unintended negative consequences for young people.

The study questioned 732 secondary school students aged 11 to 18, as well as 27 teachers and 41 parents about their views on phone bans, using questionnaires, interviews and focus groups.

There was widespread agreement about the potentially disruptive influence of smartphones in the classroom, but the research uncovered a sharp generational divide. While 87% of teachers and 88% of parents were in favour of a blanket ban, 75% of pupils disagreed with the policy.

Students argued that banning smartphones restricted access to “essential” tools they relied on to navigate daily life and support their learning, such as bus timetables, weather forecasts and homework apps. They also valued the fact that smartphones offered direct access to helpful support networks, and girls in particular said their smartphones helped them feel safer when travelling alone.

Such arguments are to be expected from the young people that are the target of the school day ban. In fact the various ways schools are implementing the ban do allow students access at the end of the school day and most use one of the following strategies to manage the ban.

Lockable Pouches: Students place phones in specialised, sealed magnetic pouches. The pouches remain locked all day and are opened magnetically by staff at dismissal. 

Designated Lockers & Charging Stations: Students secure devices in assigned lockers upon arrival, often with charging ports available.

"Brick Phone" Mandates: Some institutions mandate that students swap smartphones for basic, non-internet-capable "brick phones" for safety while commuting. 

Hand-In Policies: Pupils hand their phones into lock-boxes or designated bins at the start of every school day or class period. 

Discretionary Exceptions: Schools adjust protocols to allow phones for students who need them for medical conditions, special needs, or specific safeguarding.  

Only time will tell how well these new rules work and how it impacts on young people, their school work and their safety. Pushing all traffic until after the school day is over does not remove the issue from their lives.

Read the full story here. 

Social Media Was Banned in Australia for Kids Under 16. Months Later, More Than 85% of Them Are Still Online Source: People.com

 

The UK's recent actions to manage social media access for children under 16 followed the similar actions taken by the Australian government. This report would suggest that legislation is not an easy option in controlling access to social media as it would appear.

The report suggests that after three months of the start of the ban a significant proportion of the target age group are still online engaging in social media activities. The report isn't anti legislation but it states that it could take a decade for the intention of the law take full effect.

The article also includes a statement from the UK's NSPCC  (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) which states that “It's evident from this research that a ban alone will not keep all children safe from harm online,”

Parents must play a part in the protection of their children and monitoring such activity on a child;s device is still an effective way to add a further layer of protection which is closer to home.

Read the full article here.

Under-16s to be banned from social media, Starmer announces Source: BBC News

 

 

The UK is to join Australia in banning access to Social Media children under 16 years of age. The ban is due to be in place by the spring on 2027.

The ban will cover all of the major social media platforms  e.g. Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. WhatsApp and Signal will not be covered by the ban.

Read the full story here. 

 

 

Social media as bad for children as smoking, British doctors say Source: Brtish Medical Journal

 

British doctors have responded to the UK government consultation on the possible ban on Social Media for under 16 year olds by saying that  'Social media ranks alongside smoking as a danger to children'.

The report also refers to a statement made in the report that   "There can be few issues which have united clinicians so resoundingly ​in recent years as the impact that unfettered exposure to tech and devices is currently having ​on children and young people's health," 

More than half of 132 doctors surveyed saw at least one case of health harm that could ​be related to tech and devices every week, and over a third saw evidence of harm ​multiple times a week.\

 

The report will almost certainly have a significant impact on the outcome of the consultation and decisions about changes to UK law to deal with the issue are imminent.

 

Read the full story here. 

 

 

Story:UK to consult on social media ban for under 16s Source: BBC News

 

The clamour  regading restricting access to social media to children is spreading around the world. Australia has recently approved legislation to ban young people under 16 from access to social media. Now the UK is to consult on the same issue.

This BBC story follows an announcement by UK Government to study the views of parents, schools and young people in addition to social media companies and experts in the field which will result in a decision if and how such a ban could be implimented in the UK. 

The report also points to giving Ofsted (Schools Inspectorate in the UK) the power to check policies on phone use when it inspects schools, and it expected schools to be "phone-free by default" as a result of the announcement. This is a major challenge to schools. While many have strict rules, regarding the use of phones, it is a constant challange for many.

It will be interesting to see how this government investigation goes and what is decided regarding legislation.

Read the full story here.