A UK charity part-funded by US tech firms has been accused of censoring two teenagers invited to speak about online safety at its Safer Internet Day event. Childnet edited out warnings from Lewis Swire, then 17, and Saamya Ghai, then 14, about social media addiction being an 'imminent threat to our future', according to a record of edits seen by the Guardian.
The cuts included references to obsessive scrolling making people 'sick', children unable to stop using TikTok and Snap, and social media exacerbating a 'devastating epidemic' of isolation. One deleted line described social media as 'one of the worst psychological addictions in history' and another accused companies of using 'psychology used to exploit gambling victims'. Swire said he felt 'censored and almost betrayed' after discovering the changes moments before speaking.
Childnet, whose funders include Snap, Roblox and Meta, denied making edits to please tech backers. Chief executive Will Gardner said constraints were due to 'time and tone', not funding, and insisted the charity 'wouldn't stop young people making a point'. The 2026 iteration of the event takes place on Tuesday with over 2,800 schools listed as supporters.
Campaigners criticised the move. Daisy Greenwell of Smartphone Free Childhood said teenagers should not be asked to 'censor themselves to protect the commercial interests of Big Tech'. Harry Amies of Unplug.Scot also commented on the issue. Ghai called the experience 'hypocritical', saying the charity watered down their message despite asking them to speak up.
