A small measure

There is widespread agreement that children need more protection from the internet and the social media platforms they use almost constantly. Few imagined just 10 years ago how all-pervasive the new communications technology would be in our lives and especially those of young people. As our series of reports calling for a new duty of care to be imposed on the tech giants has shown, the impact can be severe and long-term.

The question is how to go about restricting what everyone also agrees can be a powerful force for good, and which cannot, in any case, be uninvented. Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, who in his previous post was responsible for digital policy, recognises that there is a public health issue here. He has asked Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer, to draw up official guidelines on time limits for social media use. These would work in a similar way to safe alcohol limits.

This is what is known as the “nudge” approach, relying on people to make their own safe choices by confronting them with the consequences of not doing so. But children, of course, are not allowed to drink alcohol at all so the parallel is not quite there. Moreover, they are unlikely to respond to any government advice on internet use unless it is enforced by their parents.

Instinctively, we favour encouragement over enforcement; but where the mental and physical health of our children is concerned, we must question whether a nudge is enough. Surely as the evidence mounts of the baleful impact of social media on a whole generation, the Government needs to do much more. The target for public policy needs to be the companies themselves, the purveyors rather than the consumers.