The House of Commons has voted down amendments aimed at protecting children online, including a proposed ban on social media for under 16s.

The House of Lords had tabled a series of amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including one which would prohibit the provision of VPN services to those under the age of 18, and another which would require all regulated user-to-user services under the Online Safety Act 2023 to “use highly-effective age assurance measures to prevent children under the age of 16 from becoming or being users”.

Having already enjoyed cross-party backing in the House of Lords, the amendments had received support from opposition MPs. However, the Government opposed them on the basis that the matters that they sought to address form part of the recently-announced consultation into protecting children online.

As we discussed here, the consultation explores not only the possibility of restricting VPNs and social media, but also the use of AI chatbot services, mandatory overnight curfews, whether platforms should be required to switch off addictive features, and whether the digital age of consent in the UK GDPR should be raised from 13.

During the debate, the Government Minister said that the consultation was the appropriate way to determine what should be done in relation to the matters raised in the amendments, rather than voting for an outright ban at this stage. She noted, for example, the view of some that a blanket ban on social media could have unintended consequences.

The Minister also reiterated that the Government intends to act swiftly on the outcome of the consultation, having introduced amendments granting powers to the Secretary of State to take action should the consultation deem it necessary. As she explained, “these powers will allow the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to restrict or ban children of certain ages from accessing social media services and chatbots, limit access to specific features that are harmful or addictive on these services, age-restrict or limit children’s VPN use, and change the age of digital consent in the UK GDPR if the outcomes of the consultation show that that is necessary. The specific measures will be shaped by what parents, children and experts tell us, and any regulations brought forward will require a vote in both Houses of Parliament, ensuring proper scrutiny”.