Woodbridge smartphone campaigner welcomes Online Safety Act

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has said a ban on social media for under-16s is "on the table" if tech firms don't take action to protect young people. 

Mr Kyle made the warning while preparing to tell Ofcom to be more assertive with companies, as both he and the regulator ready themselves for new legal powers in the Online Safety Act to commence from the start of 2025.

Peter Kyle (Image: Lucy North/PA Wire) The Act will see new safety duties placed on social media platforms for the first time, requiring them to protect users, particularly children, from harmful content.

It will include a crackdown on under-13s having access to age-restricted content.

Daisy Greenwell, who co-founded Smartphone Free Childhood with her friend Clare after a small WhatsApp chat with other parents to discuss the issue snowballed into an international campaign, has welcomed Mr Kyle's words.

The Woodbridge mum said: "It is a really good and exciting thing to see that Peter Kyle is speaking out about this.

"If he is saying this on public record he's going to need to stick to it, so it really means something because he is a politician and he's got the power to legislate. 

"It reflects the things parents in our community are saying. It is not fair to just say parents are in charge of keeping their children safe online. It is impossible to do, it is not designed with kids in mind and it is not right for tech companies to say it is all up to parents as we know this is not effective." 

Daisy Greenwell with her husband (Image: Alastair Bartlett Tilt Shift Creative via Daisy Greenwell) She added that the introduction of measures "can't happen fast enough". 

"This has been 10 years in the making, the Online Safety Act," she explained.

"Every parent knows a child that has been damaged or had awful experiences through social media. It is about time and it is welcomed." 

Daisy Greenwell has welcomed the 'crackdown' (Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire) Speaking to the Telegraph newspaper, Mr Kyle suggested the UK would have to move to “another level of regulation” if tech companies do not get together to enforce the Act.

He said he did not want to pursue further law changes until he sees how the Online Safety Act work, but signalled he had been speaking to politicians from Australia where restrictions for under-16s have been considered.

Asked if the UK could push its age limits up to 16, Mr Kyle said: “When it comes to keeping young people safe, everything is on the table.”