Worcester Labour MP Tom Collins has highlighted what young people told MPs about their lives online, as Parliament considers how to make digital services safer for children. He said their views should be heard in the debate over technology and safety.
In a video shared on X, Collins said young people had recently spoken about how they feel online and what they want from safer technology. He linked the discussion to his work on the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, which he joined in June.
His post offers a reminder that decisions about children’s online lives need to take account of children’s own experiences. It comes as MPs examine both the risks associated with digital platforms and the benefits young people may gain from using them.
Parliament examines the evidence
The Science and Technology Committee is investigating how digital devices and social media may affect children’s development. Its inquiry is looking at what the evidence shows, where gaps remain and whether the effects differ according to a child’s age, background or use of technology.
The committee has also examined proposals to restrict social media access for under-16s. In a letter to the government earlier this year, it argued that responsibility for preventing harm should not fall chiefly on children or parents. It called for better enforcement of existing age restrictions and further action on harmful features of social media services.
That work leaves MPs with questions beyond whether children should be allowed onto particular platforms. They must also consider how services are designed, what protections companies provide and how those protections are enforced.
Children’s experiences and policy choices
The government has said technology companies should make their products safe for children. In its response to a separate Education Committee report, it described online harms as a safeguarding and public health issue and pointed to duties on platforms under the Online Safety Act.
Collins has previously raised the design of social media systems during committee questioning, while acknowledging their potential value as tools for connecting people. His latest post puts young people’s accounts alongside the research and expert evidence that MPs are gathering.
The post does not itself set out a new policy proposal or a formal committee finding. Its contribution is to bring the voices of young people into a debate in which Parliament and the government will have to decide what safer technology should mean in practice.
