Campaigners express concerns that parents and children participating in the government’s consultation on restricting social media access could see their personal data shared with major tech firms like Google and Meta.
Consultation Privacy Policy Sparks Alarm
The consultation, titled ‘Growing up in the online world: a national consultation,’ targets parents and carers of individuals aged 21 and under, as well as children and young people aged 10 to 21. Participants must accept the privacy policy of Savanta, the survey platform contractor.
Savanta’s policy indicates that data may be shared with suppliers including Google, LinkedIn, and Meta to improve services and targeting.
Upcoming Parliamentary Debate
MPs prepare to debate a proposed social media ban for under-16s next week, following support from the House of Lords for an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Labour favors flexible measures, such as curfews or time limits, rather than a strict ban.
The consultation seeks input on preparing children for technological changes, potentially including restrictions on social media for under-16s.
Critics Demand Changes
Lord Nash, the Conservative peer advocating for the under-16 ban, calls the data-sharing revelation “deeply concerning.” He states, “It has long been clear that this consultation is a gift to big tech, providing cover for delay while the companies mobilise opposition to any meaningful action.”
Lord Nash urges the government to clarify that no personal data from participants will be shared with regulated companies and encourages public support for his amendment at raisetheage.org.uk.
Harry Amies, founder of the online child protection group Unplug.Scot, which identified the policy details, demands suspension of the consultation. He says, “The discovery that not only parents’ but children’s personal data may be shared with Meta and Google, without their explicit consent or knowledge, is extremely concerning. The Government needs to urgently change the terms of this consultation to ensure this does not happen.”
Bereaved Parents’ Plea
Twenty-three bereaved parents, including Esther Ghey—whose 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered—and Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died attempting an online challenge in 2022, press MPs to back an Australia-style under-16 ban.
They argue, “Our children should be here. They should be at school, at home, arguing with their siblings, planning their futures. Instead, we are left trying to understand how platforms designed and engineered by some of the most powerful companies in the world were allowed to reach into their bedrooms and shape their lives without meaningful protection.”
The parents warn that tech firms possess vast resources and that delays allow further weakening of reforms, leaving children exposed to harmful products.
Government Rebuttal
A DSIT spokesman dismisses the concerns as “utterly absurd,” explaining that the policy reference pertains only to basic technical data, such as IP addresses, collected if users are logged into platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or X during the survey.
The spokesman clarifies, “Like every major website, Savanta are legally required to state that… It has no connection to, and no impact on, the personal views or details people choose to share to help us make the next steps on online safety policy.”
