EastEnders Icon Natalie Cassidy Advocates for Social Media Age Restriction
Natalie Cassidy, renowned for her long-standing role as Sonia Fowler in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, has expressed profound concerns regarding the digital landscape her children navigate. The actress, a mother of two, is lending her support to a campaign aimed at prohibiting social media access for individuals under the age of 16, citing the alarming material her 15-year-old daughter, Eliza, and eventually her nine-year-old, Joanie, might encounter.
Shocking Findings from Algorithm Experiment
The campaign, titled 'Big Tech’s Little Victims,' recently conducted an investigative algorithm experiment to scrutinise the content presented to children who register on platforms at the current minimum age of 13. By creating fictional profiles on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube, modelled after typical 13-year-olds in the UK, researchers uncovered a distressing reality. Within a mere week, these profiles were inundated with hundreds of pieces of concerning content.
Cassidy revealed: “I cannot tell you how shocking it is – they are looking at sexualised content, racism, violence, misogyny, extreme dieting going towards anorexia, self-harming and even suicidal idealisation. It’s incredible.”
She elaborated that one adult participant, pretending to be a 13-year-old girl online, was compelled to withdraw from the experiment after just a few days due to the mental distress caused by the exposure.
Parental Challenges and Desensitisation Concerns
Cassidy, 42, admitted to initially acquiescing to Eliza's pleas to join social media at age 13, a decision she now regards as naive. Despite her daughter's assurances that she avoids such harmful material, Cassidy remains sceptical, fearing desensitisation among young users.
“I don’t know whether they’re just desensitised to it – I don’t know whether it does just pop up, but it’s just so normal for her to see. I don’t believe for a minute that she isn’t seeing those things,” she stated.
Highlighting a specific example, Cassidy described encountering videos promoting knife culture, which she asserts are readily accessible to 13-year-olds. “It’s terrifying,” she emphasised, questioning the inaction of both tech companies and the government.
Campaign Demands and International Precedents
The 'Big Tech’s Little Victims' initiative, spearheaded by the National Education Union, calls for urgent legislative action. Daniel Kebede, the union's general secretary, asserted: “Children are being exposed to deeply harmful content on social media, even when platforms know their age. This is not accidental – it is how these systems are designed.”
Cassidy pointed to Australia's recent ban on under-16s using major social media services as a model, arguing that parental oversight alone is insufficient in the digital age. “It’s really difficult as a parent in this day and age to police your children’s phone – it’s impossible to be behind their back 24/7 looking at it,” she explained.
Personal Reflections and Future Endeavours
Beyond her advocacy, Cassidy hosts the 'Life with Nat' podcast, where she discusses parenting and everyday life, offering a respite from the curated perfection often promoted online. Regarding a potential return to EastEnders, she remarked with a chuckle, “I always say the same – never say never.”
Reflecting on the generational shift, Cassidy noted the constant connectivity modern children experience compared to her own upbringing. “They’re living in such a different world to when I grew up... life is just 24/7 for these kids. It’s hard enough for us to deal with, let alone them,” she concluded.
TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube have been approached for comment on these allegations.
