Paul SeddonPolitical reporter
The Liberal Democrats say children using social media apps should be shown cigarette-style health warnings to help protect their mental health.
The party says the move would protect youngsters from “addictive algorithms”, citing concerns over excessive phone usage.
It also wants a two-hour “doomscrolling cap” limiting how long under-18s can access TikTok-style video clips.
The party says its own research has shown excessive social media use can lead to anxiety, sleep disruption and shortened attention spans.
Announcing the plan at the party’s autumn conference in Bournemouth, technology spokesperson Victoria Collins said excessive social media use brings well-documented risks, “just like cigarettes or alcohol”.
Adding that the issue was a public heath “crisis,” she said social media apps had become “more and more addictive” for children.
She added that mandatory health alerts would not prevent teenagers using social media or connecting with friends online, but would “ensure they go into the experience with their eyes open to the risks”.
“When we pick up a pack of cigarettes or a bottle of wine, we expect to be told about the harm those products will pose to our health,” she argued.
“So why is social media, the key driver of a crisis in young people’s mental health, any different?”
Graphic pictures to illustrate the dangers of smoking have been mandatory on cigarette packets in the UK since 2008.
Alcoholic drinks must display the volume of alcohol, whilst the units and warnings against drinking while pregnant are often displayed under a series of voluntary industry schemes.
The government is considering making these mandatory as part of its 10-year NHS plan, along with dedicated alcohol “health warning messages”.
The Liberal Democrats are pointing to proposals for social media suggested last year by Vivek Murthy, who was the most senior health adviser in the Biden administration.
He had suggested that under-18s accessing social media platforms should be referred to research on the mental health impact of using the apps.
Smartphone ban
Children aged eight to 17 spend between two and five hours online per day, according to Ofcom research.
Children have to be at least 13 to create their own social media profile, with stricter rules on age checks coming into force in July.
The new regulations also introduced new rules requiring platforms to change the algorithms which determine what is shown in children’s feeds.
The Liberal Democrats have previously pushed unsuccessfully to raise the age at which tech companies can collect children’s data from 13 to 16.
The Labour government is currently considering a two-hour cap on the use of individual social media apps for children, along with a 22:00 curfew.
But in her speech, Collins said that ministers “make noise” about online safety but had yet failed to deliver on promises of stronger time curbs.
Ministers have also previously faced pressure from the Conservatives to legislate for an England-wide ban on smartphones in schools.
Labour has so far stopped short of legislating for such a ban, although it has said it is reviewing guidance that allows individual headteachers to ban the devices.
