The UK government has urged parents to have serious conversations with their children about the risks of harmful content online after revealing alarming data that nearly half of parents have never asked their children about their social media use.
The UK government 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, covering topics from fake news and violent content to material that may affect mental health.
Liz Kendall, the UK Secretary of State for Technology, acknowledged that many parents worry about what children face on social media and emphasized that the government is committed to providing children with the childhood they deserve and preparing young people to live safely in the digital age. Therefore, the government supports parents through this campaign and has begun seeking feedback on youth experiences in the social media era.
The campaign will help parents learn how to set safety controls on social media platforms and provide guidance on discussing sensitive topics such as fake news and toxic content with their children. It will initially be promoted through television advertisements and online media like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok in selected regions of the UK.
This initiative comes just weeks after the UK government signaled readiness to adopt stricter measures to protect children online, including considering banning social media use for children under 16, following Australia's approach, which implemented such laws last December.
The UK Secretary of State plans to visit Australia to study the details of these measures, with Kendall acknowledging that the UK is considering adopting the same age threshold.
Meanwhile, several European countries such as Spain, Greece, France, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic have expressed intentions to consider limiting social media use among children amid growing concerns that many technology platforms are designed to be addictive and negatively impact youth development.
Click to read news aboutUnited Kingdom