Lauren Cowell, the wife of Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell, has launched a campaign to raise the minimum age for children to access social media to 16. The mother of 12-year-old Eric became concerned after discovering he had secretly downloaded Snapchat on her phone during the school run. She said she knew nothing about the app and was 'freaked out' by how it worked.
Cowell has joined the 'Raise the Age' campaign alongside dozens of bereaved families, including Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died in 2022 in what she believes was an online challenge gone wrong. Cowell said meeting these parents changed her perspective: 'It stopped being a what if or a hypothetical. You're hearing from parents whose lives have been completely torn apart.'
The campaign is calling for a law similar to the one implemented in Australia in December, which bans under-16s from social media. A key vote is expected in the House of Commons on Wednesday. Cowell urged MPs and Prime Minister Keir Starmer to act: 'This really shouldn't even be a political discussion…it should absolutely be a discussion of what is in the best interest and the safety and protection of children.'
Cowell said parents feel 'out of control' and that teachers have reported changes in children's behaviour, including dwindling attention and confidence issues. She highlighted two US court cases that found Meta and YouTube liable for exposing children to harmful content, noting that platforms are 'designed to keep children engaged for as long as possible.'
