Be firmer with children, parents told

Health Secretary says he is ‘deeply troubled’ about damage caused by social media to young generation

PARENTS must be “strict” about sweets and social media and not give in to pester power, the Health Secretary has said.

Matt Hancock advocated protecting children’s innocence by being firmer about their use of technology, and said he rarely allows his three children, aged five to 11, to eat sweets.

The Health Secretary, who took up the post in July, also said businesses should do far more to help parents enforce clear boundaries.

He urged social media providers to give parents “the tools to be strict” – by enforcing their own rules, such as preventing under-age use of sites.

Mr Hancock said society had a “moral duty” to tackle an epidemic of mental ill-health among those brought up in the smartphone era.

The minister said he is passionate about the use of technology for public good. But he said he was “deeply troubled” by the damage done to a generation left overwhelmed by social media, which was fuelling feelings of inadequacy and poor body image.

Mr Hancock has already backed The Daily Telegraph’s campaign calling for a statutory duty of care on all social media and online gaming companies.

He urged parents to step up, warning that today’s generation of young children was facing pressures that could cause untold damage.

Mr Hancock does not allow his children to use mobile phones. “Stopping a child from going on social media is not being tough on a child – a child can have a great time unhindered by social media,” he said.

Mr Hancock is in China to co-host a meeting of the World Economic Forum, for discussions about how to use emerging technologies like artificial intelligence to extend lives.

He said technology would help Britain and other countries to meet global challenges such as ageing populations – but also needed to be kept in check.

“Setting boundaries is a central part of parenthood and modern life makes it harder to set those boundaries,” he said. “I would advocate that parents are given the tools to be strict.”

Next month he will host the first global ministerial mental health summit, which attempts to agree a shared common purpose among countries facing similar issues.

“Like every parent I’m deeply troubled about the impact of social media on the prevalence of mental health problems among children and young people,” he said.

The Government was attempting to help parents in the fight against obesity, he said, but added that parents needed to step up.