THE Skipton spokesperson for a movement calling on social media to be banned for under-16s says a petition delivered to the Prime Minister shows the message from families is clear.
A petition delivered recently by Smartphone Free Childhood to 10 Downing Street was signed by more than 5,400 people in North, South and West Yorkshire and called on Sir Keir Starmer to raise the age people can access social media to 16.
Delivery of the petition came as the government's public consultation into social media and children came to an end last week.
Elizabeth Morrison, of Skipton, a regional leader for Smartphone Free Childhood, said: "Social media is becoming ever more addictive, more toxic, and more harmful to our kids – and families in Yorkshire have had enough.
“Policy hasn’t kept up with the rate of technological change, and while tech companies are cashing in, and its families and children who are losing out. What we need is swift, decisive action from the Government to reset the system so that all kids are protected.”
She says that the volume of petition signatures reflects the growing concern among families that the current system is not working.
“A generation of children is being damaged by social media. Parents can see it. Schools can see it.This consultation is a real chance to fix something that families across the country are struggling with," said Ms Morrison.
The petition calls for a 'simple, common sense reset'. If social media companies want access to the under 16s, they must first prove their platforms are safe and age appropriate.
Alongside the petition, families in Yorkshire are also taking action in their own communities. More than 9600 local parents have signed a pact agreeing to delay smartphones until at least 14 and social media until 16, says Smartphone Free Childhood.
These pacts help parents act together, says the movement, reducing peer pressure and making it easier to hold boundaries at home.
Ms Morrison added: “Parents are coming together to delay smartphones and social media in their school communities, which makes it so much easier and means that your child isn’t left the only one without.
“The Pact helps level the playing field, but ultimately we need more support from government, because not every parent has the time or tech knowledge to protect their child.”
The Yorkshire figures are part of a wider wave of parent-led action across the UK. A quarter of a million parents wrote to their MP in January, asking them to raise the age of social media, which resulted in the government launching a consultation into the issue.
Skipton MP Sir Julian Smith supports the banning of smartphones in schools and social media restrictions for under-16s.
The petition delivery comes as a major new UK-wide survey of parents has revealed the depth of despair many families now feel about childhood in the age of social media, with overwhelming numbers saying parenting has become harder, family life more conflict-ridden, and childhood fundamentally worse than their own.
Campaigners say the message from families is clear.
Daisy Greenwell, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood said: “Responsibility needs to sit with the companies that design and profit from these platforms.
“Until they can show their products are safe for children, they shouldn’t have access to them.”
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