Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, has called on MPs to vote for an age restriction on social media in the coming weeks, accusing the government of “kicking the can down the road” with its planned consultation.
Speaking on the Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast, Ghey said she feared waiting for the results of the government’s assessment later this year would allow more children to be harmed. She previously detailed how she believes her daughter’s social media addiction contributed to her mental health issues and led her to take risks with her personal safety.
“We’ve got the consultation that they’re planning, but I just fear that it’s going to take too long and I think that we’ve already had enough discussions and consultations and we know the evidence now,” Ghey said. “Brianna wasn’t alone. We know that there are each day, in England alone, 500 mental health referrals for children.” She added: “We need to move now because as we’re waiting, more and more children are being harmed.”
MPs are preparing to vote on an amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill tabled by Lord John Nash, which would enact a ban for under-16s within 12 months of the bill passing. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last week announced a consultation due to report in the summer, but is understood to have reservations about implementation, including whether a ban could drive children on to the dark web.
Those doubts are shared by technology secretary Liz Kendall and education secretary Bridget Phillipson. Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly Russell took her own life at 14 after viewing harmful social media content, also cautioned against moving too fast, saying: “We’re in danger of trying to move too fast and trying to find quick-fix solutions.”
More than 60 Labour MPs signed a letter calling for a ban, though some have since suggested they would be content to let the consultation finish. Fred Thomas, the MP who organised the letter, said he would welcome a government amendment enabling the UK to remove access to social media for under-16s through secondary legislation, based on consultation.
