9 hours ago
Children could be handed a social media 'curfew' under 'app cap' plan to increase online safety being considered by ministers
Ministers are considering proposals to hand children a social media curfew under measures to improve online safety.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle indicated he was considering an 'app cap' to restrict how much time youths spend on their phones.
The cap would limit access to apps to two hours a day, outside of school time and before 10pm, the Sunday Mirror reported.
It came as Mr Kyle came under fire from the father of a teen who took her own life after viewing harmful content warned 'sticking plasters' will not be enough to strengthen online safety measures.
The Online Safety Act has passed into law, and from this year will require tech platforms to follow new Ofcom-issued codes of practice to keep users safe online, particularly children.
But Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly died in 2017, said it was not tough enough and urged the Prime Minister to 'act decisively' in toughening legislation to protect young people online.
Mr Russell, who is chairman of the Molly Rose Foundation set up in his daughter's memory, said: 'Every day the Government has delayed bringing in tougher online safety laws we've seen more young lives lost and damaged because of weak regulation and inaction by big tech.
'Parents up and down the country would be delighted to see the Prime Minister act decisively to quell the tsunami of harm children face online, but sticking plasters will not do the job.
'Only a stronger and more effective Online Safety Act will finally change the dial on fundamentally unsafe products and business models that prioritise engagement over safety.'
Hefty fines and site blockages are among the penalties for those caught breaking the rules, but many critics have argued the approach gives tech firms too much scope to regulate themselves.
Mr Kyle was asked on Sunday morning whether he would look at limiting the time children spend on social media to two hours per app after the Sunday People and Mirror reported the measure was being considered by ministers.
'I've not been able to talk publicly about what the Labour approach is because we have the legacy legislation that has to go through first,' he told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show.
'This year we've had illegal content that needs to be taken down, but in July age-appropriate material must be supplied by platforms otherwise there'll be criminal sanctions against them.
'And in this time, I've been looking very carefully about what we do next.'
Pressed on whether he was looking at an 'app cap', Mr Kyle said: 'I'm looking at things that prevent healthy activity, I'm looking at some of the addictive nature of some of the apps and smartphones.
'I'm trying to think how we can break some of the addictive behaviour and incentivise more of the healthy developmental… and also the good communicative side of online life.'
