Screen Time and Social Media

Education Committee Open Non-inquiry session
Opened: 13 Apr 2026 Parliament page
The Committee plans to hold two evidence sessions focusing on screen-time and social media. The sessions will help inform the Committee's submission to the Government's consultation into Growing up in the online world, and follow-up on the previous Committee's report into screen-time.
10 Recommendations
14 Conclusions
1 Report
2 Oral sessions
3 Letters
2 Events
Activity timeline 8 events
21 May
2026
Report published
19 May
2026
Correspondence
19 May
2026
Correspondence
29 Apr
2026
Correspondence
28 Apr
2026
Oral evidence
28 Apr
2026
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
21 Apr
2026
Oral evidence
21 Apr
2026
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions
28 Apr 2026
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Screen Time and Social Media
Daniel Kebede · National Education Union Darren Northcott · NASUWT The Teachers' Union Dr Adam Read · SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd Esther Ghey · Brianna Ghey Legacy Project Jacqueline Beauchere · Snapchat Mr Andy Burrows · Molly Rose Foundation Rani Govender · National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) Sarah Hannafin · NAHT Tom Middlehurst · Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL)
21 Apr 2026
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Screen Time and Social Media
Ali Laws · TikTok Alistair Law · TikTok Laura Higgins · Roblox Professor Amy Orben · University of Cambridge Professor Pete Etchells · Bath Spa University Professor Victoria Goodyear · University of Birmingham Rebecca Stimson · Meta Sanjit Gill · Snapchat
Title HC No. Published Items Response
1st Report - Growing up in the online world: The Education Commi… HC 187 21 May 2026 24 Pending
Recommendations & Conclusions
24 results
1 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
The Committee concludes that online harms affecting children are widespread, severe and systemic.
The Committee concludes that online harms affecting children are widespread, severe and systemic. The evidence we heard demonstrates clear links between children’s exposure to harmful online content (including material promoting self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, misogyny and sexual exploitation) and serious … Read more
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2 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
These harms are not accidental or isolated, but occur because of platform design choices, including...
These harms are not accidental or isolated, but occur because of platform design choices, including algorithmic recommendation systems, infinite scrolling, autoplay and private messaging features, which repeatedly expose children to harmful or exploitative content at a scale which reactive moderation … Read more
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3 Recommendation
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
The Committee is clear that the companies whose platforms are responsible for these harms cannot...
The Committee is clear that the companies whose platforms are responsible for these harms cannot be left to self-regulate. We recommend that the Government treats online harms to children explicitly as a safeguarding and public health issue, rather than relying … Read more
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4 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
Existing advice and resources for parents and carers are inconsistently promoted and insufficiently clear, leaving...
Existing advice and resources for parents and carers are inconsistently promoted and insufficiently clear, leaving many families unsure how to manage screen use in a way that supports their children’s development, learning and wellbeing. (Conclusion, Paragraph 10) Read more
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5 Recommendation
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
We recommend that the Government develops and promotes clear, evidence-based national guidance for parents and...
We recommend that the Government develops and promotes clear, evidence-based national guidance for parents and carers on children’s use of digital devices and online services. This guidance should: 15 • set out age-appropriate principles for children’s screen use, including for … Read more
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6 Recommendation
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
We recommend that this guidance be co-designed with parents and carers, educators and child development...
We recommend that this guidance be co-designed with parents and carers, educators and child development experts, and communicated through schools, health services and online platforms, ensuring that families are supported to create healthy digital environments at home alongside significantly strengthened … Read more
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7 Recommendation
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
We recommend that the Government introduces mandatory restrictions on high-risk and addictive design features, such...
We recommend that the Government introduces mandatory restrictions on high-risk and addictive design features, such as infinite scrolling, disappearing messages and algorithmic messages for under-18s, with appropriate age-related restrictions enabled by default, rather than relying on voluntary measures or user … Read more
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8 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
Too much responsibility for managing online harms is currently placed on children, parents and carers,...
Too much responsibility for managing online harms is currently placed on children, parents and carers, and schools—groups with limited power to influence platform behaviour. Schools are bearing a growing safeguarding and behaviour-management burden arising from online activity that takes place … Read more
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9 Recommendation
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
We recommend that the Government rebalances responsibility for child online safety decisively towards social media...
We recommend that the Government rebalances responsibility for child online safety decisively towards social media and technology companies. The Government must ensure that schools, teachers and families are supported by regulation rather than left to compensate for unsafe digital environments, … Read more
Department for Education
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10 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
Action on mobile phone use in schools is necessary and broadly supported by teachers and...
Action on mobile phone use in schools is necessary and broadly supported by teachers and school leaders. However, restrictions within schools alone cannot address the drivers of harm that originate in the wider online environment. We are concerned that the … Read more
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11 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
Schools should not be able to adopt “not seen or heard” policies towards phones, whereby...
Schools should not be able to adopt “not seen or heard” policies towards phones, whereby children can still have their phones in their school bags throughout the school day. This approach does not alleviate the distraction of mobile phones or … Read more
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12 Recommendation
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
The Government should publish detailed guidance on exemptions to the phone free policy, for example,...
The Government should publish detailed guidance on exemptions to the phone free policy, for example, for children who have smartphone enabled assistive technology or who are young carers, covering the implementation of exemptions and how children with exemptions will be … Read more
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13 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
The Committee believes that social media organisations’ reliance on incremental improvements, voluntary measures and shared...
The Committee believes that social media organisations’ reliance on incremental improvements, voluntary measures and shared responsibility falls way short of the level of accountability that is required to address the scale and seriousness of the risks faced by children online. … Read more
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14 Recommendation
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
We recommend that the Government uses the powers available to it to impose clear, enforceable...
We recommend that the Government uses the powers available to it to impose clear, enforceable duties on platforms to prioritise child safety by design, backed by meaningful sanctions for non-compliance. (Recommendation, Paragraph 28) 17 The case for restricting social media … Read more
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15 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
There is a compelling case for an outright statutory ban on social media access for...
There is a compelling case for an outright statutory ban on social media access for under-16s in order to reset the relationship children and families have with digital devices and social media, and to arrest the current harm. The evidence … Read more
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16 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
The Committee recommends that the Government introduces a statutory ban on the use of social...
The Committee recommends that the Government introduces a statutory ban on the use of social media platforms for children under the age of 16. It is time to apply the brakes and prioritise children’s safety. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33)
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17 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
The Committee is clear, however, that a ban alone is not enough to tackle the...
The Committee is clear, however, that a ban alone is not enough to tackle the scale and complexity of the harms identified. Evidence suggests that children are likely to continue to access online services through circumvention and by accessing platforms … Read more
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18 Recommendation
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
We recommend that the Government introduces a risk-based and age- appropriate regulatory framework that applies...
We recommend that the Government introduces a risk-based and age- appropriate regulatory framework that applies consistently across social media, gaming and hybrid platforms, private messaging sites and AI chatbots, including sites and platforms widely used by children. This would have … Read more
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19 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
Age-based safeguards, including minimum age requirements and child protections, cannot be effective without robust, accurate...
Age-based safeguards, including minimum age requirements and child protections, cannot be effective without robust, accurate and consistently applied age-assurance systems. Current approaches are unreliable and undermine both safety measures and public confidence. Whilst concerns have been raised about circumvention, including … Read more
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20 Recommendation
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
We recommend that the Government works with mobile phone manufacturers to ensure that robust safety-by-design...
We recommend that the Government works with mobile phone manufacturers to ensure that robust safety-by-design features are available and can be activated on all phones that can be used by children, including strengthening age-verification processes for downloading apps. (Recommendation, Paragraph … Read more
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21 Recommendation
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
We recommend that the Government establishes a clear and enforceable framework for age assurance across...
We recommend that the Government establishes a clear and enforceable framework for age assurance across platforms likely to be accessed by children, with independent oversight and regular assessment of effectiveness. (Recommendation, Paragraph 38)
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22 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
The Committee welcomes the publication of screentime guidance for under- 5s and recommends that the...
The Committee welcomes the publication of screentime guidance for under- 5s and recommends that the Government urgently publishes evidence- based screentime guidance for children and young people from the age of 5–18 with appropriate age-related strata. (Recommendation, Paragraph 39) Read more
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23 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
The Committee is clear that further research is needed on both the risks and dangers...
The Committee is clear that further research is needed on both the risks and dangers of social media, and gaming and hybrid platforms for those aged under 18, and the effectiveness of the measures that are needed to tackle and … Read more
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24 Conclusion
1st Report - Growing up in the onl…
Although it is beyond the scope of this Committee’s remit, it is clear that the...
Although it is beyond the scope of this Committee’s remit, it is clear that the issues that impact children also extend into adulthood. We encourage the Government to expand its work on social media harms and to investigate thoroughly their … Read more
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Correspondence 3 letters
19 May 2026 To committee Letter from Roblox on Screen Time and Social Media dated 30.04.26
Parliament page
19 May 2026 To committee Letter from Meta on Screen Time and Social Media dated 08.05.26
Parliament page
29 Apr 2026 To committee Letter from Snap Inc on attendance at Committee meeting dated 27.04.26
Parliament page