The UK government is urging parents to have serious conversations with their children about the dangers of harmful online content after alarming data revealed that nearly half of parents have never asked their children about their social media use.
The UK government has launched a new campaign called "You Won’t Know Until You Ask" to encourage parents to start conversations with their children about what they see and do online, including misinformation, violent content, and material that may affect their mental health.
Liz Kendall, the UK Secretary of State for Technology, acknowledged that many parents worry about what children are facing on social media. She emphasized the government's commitment to providing children with the childhood they deserve and preparing young people to live safely in the digital era. Accordingly, the government supports parents through this campaign and is seeking feedback on youth life in the social media age.
The campaign will help parents learn how to set safety controls on social media platforms and guide conversations with children on sensitive topics like misinformation and toxic content. It will initially be promoted through television ads and online media such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok in selected regions of the UK.
This initiative comes just weeks after the UK government signaled it is ready to implement stricter measures to protect children online, including considering banning social media use for children under 16, following Australia's approach, which enacted such laws last December.
The UK minister plans to visit Australia to study the details of these measures. Kendall acknowledged that the UK is considering adopting the same age threshold.
Meanwhile, several European countries, including Spain, Greece, France, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, have expressed intentions to restrict children's social media use as well, amid concerns that many technology platforms are designed to be addictive and negatively impact youth development.
:Sourcechannelnewsasia
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