To fight the crisis social media is creating for our children and young people head-on, the National Education Union (NEU) and a coalition of partners have launched ‘Robbed: Big Tech’s Little Victims’, a national campaign backed by parents, teachers, young people and healthcare professionals calling on the government to raise the age of digital consent to 16 and stop social media companies from stealing childhoods.
Recent polling by the NEU revealed 70% of the UK public believe that social media companies are robbing children and young people of their childhoods (69%) and are glad they didn’t grow up with social media (72%). Almost two-thirds (64%) also agree these same Big Tech companies are profiting from the distress their platforms are causing.
‘Robbed: Big Tech’s Little Victims’ is responding to the devastating effects of social media, which parents and teachers are seeing every day at home and in the classroom. From disrupted sleep and shorter attention spans, to reduced social skills and exposure to radicalised and extreme views, children and young people are victims of Big Tech executives who are making billions while they lose out.
The NEU has published a report that highlights just how platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube – headed up by billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel and Sundar Pichai – are generating profits through exploitation, feeding dangerous algorithms to children and exposing them to harmful trends and toxic content before their brains are even fully developed.
Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the NEU, said: “Every day, teachers see the damage Big Tech is doing to children and young people. Students are being robbed – of innocence, of attention, of sleep and joy – arriving at school exhausted, anxious, and already overwhelmed by what they’ve seen on social media. Their ability to focus, connect, and feel good about themselves is being eroded before they’ve even had a chance to grow. This isn’t just unfortunate – it’s a crisis. And it’s being driven by platforms designed to exploit young minds for profit.
“It’s important that schools have robust policies on smartphones, but social media will continue to rob children of their wellbeing and socialisation outside of the school gates. We will not stand by while social media executives rake in billions by stealing childhoods. Teachers are uniting with parents to say enough is enough, because we see the harm, and we know it can be stopped. The NEU is proud to lead this campaign and call for the digital age of consent to be raised to 16. Other countries are acting; the UK must follow. It’s time to put children’s lives before corporate gain. It’s time to stop Big Tech stealing childhoods.”
Exposing the extent to which social media is robbing children and young people of their wellbeing, polling also revealed over two-thirds (68%) of people think social media use is exacerbating a mental health emergency for under-18s.
Parents agree. More than three-quarters (77%) of parents surveyed by the NEU believe social media companies have played a significant role in the mental health crisis young people are facing. The most pervasive negative impacts of social media they reported their children experiencing are:
● Spending less time outdoors (42%)
● Reduced time spent on hobbies like sports, reading and music (36%)
● Disrupted sleep or bedtime routines (35%)
● Decreased attention spans or concentration (31%)
● Exposure to harmful or inappropriate content (30%)
Baroness Anne Longfield, Executive Chair of Centre for Young Lives and former Children’s Commissioner for England, said: “Our children are navigating a digital world never designed to protect them, and which can often manipulate them. Too many are being robbed, of sleep, of confidence, of attention and connection. That’s why I am supporting this campaign to restore boundaries, reclaim childhood and hold social media companies accountable for the harm they are causing. We cannot continue to accept that children should be left to fend for themselves in the digital world or continue to risk becoming the victims of the ever-growing power and influence of tech giants.”
In addition to pushing for the UK Government to raise the age of digital consent for social media to 16, the campaign’s other demands found substantial support among the UK public:
● The Government should introduce guidance on the health impacts of social media on children and young people (76%)
● There should be guaranteed space on the school curriculum to teach digital literacy (73%)
● The Government should introduce a watermark for ethical advertising for social media platforms (70%)
● There should be a windfall tax on social media companies to pay for mental health services (67%)
Join the parents and teachers fighting to stop Big Tech stealing childhoods. Support the campaign and sign the open letter to the UK Government here.
