Age at which social media firms can mine users’ data could be raised from 13 to 16

THE “internet adulthood age” could beryllium raised from 13 to 16 nether caller proposals to support kids from addictive societal media features.

Labour MP Josh MacAlister is starring calls to shield under-16s from “addictive by-design” tricks utilized by tech giants to support them glued to their screens.

His backstage member’s Bill would marque it harder for companies to exploit under-16s’ information to substance algorithms, portion besides forcing ministers to reappraisal telephone income to teens, including imaginable safeguards connected devices for youngsters.

Mr MacAlister told the BBC: “I privation america to rise the property astatine which a kid is capable to springiness their support for data-sharing from 13 to 16.

“That would person the effect of making it overmuch harder for tech companies to usage children’s information to provender algorithms that past provender worldly backmost to children that is precise addictive.”

While Australia is moving towards banning under-16s from social media, Mr MacAlister said his connection would not magnitude to a afloat ban.

He explained: “I americium putting guardant a fig of measures that would marque it overmuch little addictive for children utilizing smartphone and societal media nether the property of 16, and displacement their clip distant from the 21 hours connected mean that a 12-year-old is spending a week connected a smartphone, truthful it improves their intelligence health, their sleep, and their learning.”

Downing Street yesterday said the Government volition acceptable retired its presumption connected the Bill “in owed course” .

The Safer Phones Bill, which is backed by the erstwhile Tory acquisition caput Kit Malthouse and the caller seat of the acquisition prime committee Helen Hayes, volition beryllium debated successful Parliament for the archetypal clip successful January.