The government needs to do more to protect young people from violent and harmful content online, a report by teenagers suggests. The Youth Select Committee, a parliamentary group of 14 to 19-year-olds, said the Online Safety Act was not robust enough to protect children from being exposed to dangerous material. But the committee argued against calls to ban social media for under-16s, saying it “is neither practical nor effective”. Wania Eshaal Ahmad, the 15-year-old chair of the committee, said it was “quite abhorrent” that social media algorithms could inadvertently promote violent and harmful content to keep young people engaged. The committee called for better media literacy education in schools, including about how algorithms work and how students can “protect themselves and distinguish fact from fiction”. The report also called for more training and support for teachers, parents and carers to help educate young people on the potential dangers of the online world. The report welcomed measures in the Online Safety Act, but said the act was not robust enough to enforce minimum age limits on social media platforms, or to ensure children and young people would be protected from harmful content. The committee’s report said responsibility is a very key aspect, and that’s what we need from the government, from social media companies and from the education system. We don’t need empty promises. We need them to take action, and action is the only way forward.
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