The British government has opened a nationwide public consultation on children’s use of social media and smartphones, marking a decisive step in its effort to address growing concerns over young people’s mental health, education, and social development in the digital age, according to APP.
Announced on Monday, the initiative invites parents, children, educators, and civil society groups to contribute views on how technology can be used more responsibly by young people. The consultation reflects mounting public and political pressure to curb the influence of social media and mobile devices, which critics argue are reshaping childhood in troubling ways.
Alongside the consultation, the government unveiled immediate measures to strengthen mobile phone bans in schools. The schools inspectorate, Ofsted, will now be required to assess compliance with phone restrictions during every inspection. Schools are expected to operate on a “phone free by default” basis, ensuring pupils do not have access to mobile devices during lessons, breaks, or time between classes.
The policy shift follows evidence that existing rules are often poorly enforced. Official figures indicate that more than half of secondary school students report seeing phones used without permission in classrooms, a figure that rises sharply among older pupils.
The consultation will explore a wide range of regulatory options. These include raising the digital age of consent, improving age-verification systems on social media platforms, introducing phone curfews to limit excessive use, and restricting design features such as infinite scrolling and usage “streaks” that are seen as encouraging addictive behavior.
To support families, the government will publish new, evidence-based guidance on screen time for parents of children aged five to sixteen. This will follow separate guidance for parents of younger children, due in April. Updated advice for schools will further clarify expectations around phone free learning environments.
British media report that the initiative also responds to cross-party calls in Parliament for stronger protections for children online, including proposals to ban under-16s from social media altogether. The government said it will publish its response to the consultation in the summer, as part of a broader strategy to safeguard children’s wellbeing in an increasingly digital world.
