Robert Reid 5 hours ago
Here is a summary of our response to the UK Government’s Growing Up in an Online World consultation, courtesy of our Policy and Campaigns Officer Robert Reid and the children and young people who shared their thoughts with us.
The debate around children’s use of social media has intensified following the UK Government’s recent announcement that it will introduce a ban on social media access for children and young people under the age of 16. While we fully support the aim of improving online safety, our recent consultation response highlights the need to carefully balance protection from harm with children’s rights and lived experiences.
Through our engagement with Forces children and young people, it became clear that social media platforms are not simply places for entertainment. For many children from Armed Forces families, they are essential tools for maintaining family relationships, friendships, access to information, and emotional wellbeing.
Many of the young people we spoke to described social media and messaging platforms as vital during periods of separation from serving parents and loved ones. One young person explained how they used social media “to keep my Dad updated at Christmas time… welfare can [be] given through social media”. Another told us: “without it, I wouldn’t be able to get in contact with family who live in a poor signal area”.
Encouragingly, early indications from the Government suggest that communication channels such as WhatsApp are unlikely to be subject to restrictions, but children and young people use other social media channels such as Instagram and Snapchat for a significant amount of their communication, particularly with their peers.
For children who experience frequent moves because of service life, online platforms help maintain friendships and can reduce feelings of isolation. As one young person who has experienced a number of global relocations told us: “It would pretty suck if I had to cut contact with my friends abroad… isolation is the worst when you move to a new place”. Another explained that being “online makes me feel less alone because I can text people even if I’m constantly moving”.
At the same time, Forces children were clear that there are genuine risks online. Young people spoke about encountering distressing content, misinformation and discussions about global conflicts that can have a particular effect on them. One young person shared: “Seeing stuff about world conflicts stirs some negative thoughts about how it would directly affect me and my family due to the likelihood of parents being sent to the conflict”.
However, while recognising these harms, young people did not believe that restricting children’s access should be the main solution. Instead, they consistently argued that greater responsibility should sit with governments and social media companies to create safer online environments.
One young person noted that while some protections already existed, they were often ineffective because “it was easy to fix or get around it”. Another added: “I think the Government should be doing more… preventing [the use of] some words exists, but there are always ways around it”.
Young people also highlighted that some online risks stem from adults’ behaviour rather than children’s. As one participant explained: “I’d say more regulation because parents publish all sorts about us on social media, banning children wouldn’t prevent this kind of stuff so children wouldn’t be protected”.
Our response to the UK Government’s Growing Up in an Online World consultation emphasised that online safety measures should be developed through a children’s rights lens. Any approach should consider children’s rights to family life, communication, education and access to information, alongside the need to protect them from harm.
For Forces children, online platforms often provide essential connections during periods of separation, deployment and mobility. As discussions about future online safety measures continue, it is important that the voices of children themselves remain at the centre of the conversation.
Our position remains clear: children should be protected online, but the primary responsibility for making online spaces safe should rest with the platforms that design and profit from them, not with the children who rely on them.
Regulate the companies, not the children.
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