Minimum age for social media
Petitions debate
The petition
In December 2024, Kim Campbell created a petition asking the Government to 'Introduce 16 as the minimum age for children to have social media'.
Over 128,000 people agreed with Kim and signed her petition.
Petitions debate
The Petitions Committee scheduled a debate on the petition in Westminster Hall.
It was led by Tony Vaughan MP on Monday 24 February 2025.
During the debate, Tony reflected on what social media means to young people:
"I have heard it said more than once that most adults do not see how important social media is to young people’s social and digital identity and that we cannot teach boundaries if we ban access to these apps altogether.
"I totally agree that social media can be a space where young people can build positive relationships with their peers, reduce loneliness, improve coping skills and improve general knowledge and creativity—social media can of course be a wonderful tool, but it is currently a wild west where there is too much harmful content.
Tony further outlined his concerns about social media:
"The sad fact of the matter is that social media is pushing content that radicalises, that catalyses mental health crises and that is highly addictive.
"Social media platforms are designed to exploit vulnerabilities in our young people. Algorithms push harmful content—body image issues, self-harm or anxiety videos—directly on to their feeds."
Government response
The Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, Chris Bryant MP, responded to the debate on behalf of the Government.
He began by recognising petition creator Kim's achievement, and discussed the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023:
"First, may I pay enormous tribute to Kim Campbell? Many other Members have already done so, but it is a significant achievement to force Parliament to debate something. Getting 130,000 people to sign up to the petition is a phenomenal achievement, so thank you very much. I think I can say that on behalf of all the political parties in Parliament and all Members of the House.
"The process has been difficult, and I am absolutely certain that the Online Safety Act will not be the end of this story. That is why the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology has said clearly that everything is “on the table”, and that is why today’s debate is so important.
"The Online Safety Act will require all platforms that are in scope, including social media platforms, to set up robust systems and processes to tackle the most egregious illegal content or activity proactively, preventing users from encountering it in the first place."
The Minister further outlined the content of the Online Safety Act 2023 and the role of Ofcom:
- Platforms will be required to remove illegal content as soon as it is flagged to them
- Providers must deploy measures to protect children from seeing harmful content
- Platforms that specify a minimum age limit to access their site, must state in their terms of service how they consistently enforce the policy
- Ofcom has published draft safety measures, which companies must take to fulfil their duties under the Act.
The Minister concluded his speech by stating:
"We are keen to act in this space. The question is, how do we act most proportionately and effectively in a way that tackles the real problem? Some of that is about how the evidence stacks up, and some of it is about when the right time to legislate is.
"I do not think for a single instant that this debate or the Online Safety Act will be the end of the story. I would be amazed if there were not further legislation, in some shape or other, in this field in the next two or three years."
Kim's response
“It was such a great experience to be able to attend the debate in person. To see the MPs in action and feel their passion was something I will never forget.
"I never thought for a minute when I completed that request for an online petition that I’d be sitting in parliament just a few months later."
Watch the debate
E-petition debate relating to a minimum age for social media
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