7 in 10 say Government not doing enough to protect children online as Lib Dems launch campaign to end addictive screens

EMBARGO: 22.30 Wednesday 16th April 2025

• Liberal Democrats call for Ofcom fines from Online Safety Act breaches to be reinvested into education on safer screens for children
• Party is also demanding Government convene a ‘Safer Screens Taskforce’ to hold Government departments to account, and ban tech firms from harvesting the data of under-16s

New polling indicates more than 80% of UK adults are concerned that social media platforms are causing a children’s public health crisis – as the Lib Dems launch a raft of new policies aimed at ending the addictive “doomscrolling” that plagues young people.

An astonishing new poll commissioned by the Liberal Democrats shows that 8 in 10 (83%)  adults in the UK  are concerned that social media companies are causing a public health crisis among children and young people – and 70% say the Government isn’t doing enough to protect children online today.

The data comes as the Government refuses to rule out watering-down the Online Safety Act, meant to better hold social media firms to account, as part of a Trump trade deal. The Liberal Democrats have previously slammed the potential move and called for Parliament to have a vote on any US trade deal.

Now, the Liberal Democrats are calling for all revenue generated by Ofcom fines off the back of the Online Safety Act to be ringfenced to help fund the provision of standalone education on Online Safety and safer screens for all school children.

The party is also launching their campaign to raise the age at which big tech companies can collect children’s data from 13 to 16. Personal data is collated by social media platforms in part to feed their algorithms, the code that recommends users content matching their interests and drives the addictiveness of platforms. 

Stopping social media giants from being able to collect the data of under-16s without parental consent would mean platforms would need to change how their services work for young people. A less algorithmically driven form of social media, without targeted advertising would be less addictive for teens.

The change, which was first proposed in the Safer Phones Private Members’ Bill and subsequently dropped, is now part of the Liberal Democrats’ plans to bolster support for young people’s relationships with screens in an increasingly online world. Polling suggested that 60% of UK adults would support a policy that prevents social media companies from collecting the data of children and young people under the age of 16.

The party is also calling for the introduction of a Safer Screens Taskforce as part of their campaign, that would hold all Government departments to account on enforcing a public health approach to screens and technology.
 

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Toxic algorithms are pushing many into dark corners of the internet where hatred festers and breeds really sinister attitudes that cause terrible harm in the real world. The battle to keep our children safe from the likes of Elon Musk is not one that we should be expecting parents to fight alone. Big tech has simply been allowed to grow too powerful.

“The Government has a duty to step up and give us all the tools we need to break this cycle. Sadly, they have been missing in action. As an immediate step, they should be mandating that the revenues from any fines levied by Ofcom for breaches of the Online Safety Act be reinvested into safer screens education in schools for our young people.”

Victoria Collins, the Liberal Democrat Science, Technology and Innovation Spokesperson, said:

“The Conservatives cosied up to big tech for years, and now the Labour government is considering selling out on online safety protections to appease Trump and his cronies. In every school I’ve visited, young people are crying out for action and families are worried sick.

“Meanwhile, the Lib Dems are standing up for our young people. We’re launching a new campaign to tackle this public health crisis, starting with a Safer Screens Taskforce to hold the Government to account and make sure the voice of children’s safety is heard at the centre of power. 

“And we’re calling for an end to social media companies harvesting the data of under 16s –  beginning the hard work to cut addictive algorithms off at their source once and for all.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Methodology: Savanta interviewed 2,045 UK adults aged 18+ online between 14th and 16th March 2025. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK by age, sex, region, and social grade.