Social media ban unenforceable, online safety charity warns bbc.in/4onO7Ui

We have a coalition of members of @Europarl_EN from across 9 parties calling for concrete EU legislation from the @EU_Commission From @TheProgressives, @GreensEFA, @EuropeanPirates, @VoltEuropa, @EPP, @Left_EU, @RenewEurope, @pdf_bund, etc. The people want #StopKillingGames!

A block on chat functions could come as part of any social media ban Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan says gaming platforms are ripe for exploitation by allowing strangers to contact children using "stranger pairing" It's not yet clear how the block would work, but some platforms already provide parental control or require age verification Story: thetimes.com/uk/politics/art…

🚨The UN's top human rights body has just issued a stark warning to governments rushing to ban teens from social media: blanket bans are not the answer. In a major new intervention, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has published 10 key guidelines for protecting children online. Their message is clear: blanket bans push children towards riskier, less monitored corners of the internet while letting tech monopolies completely off the hook. Instead of forcing young people into digital exile, the UN's very first recommendation is exactly what our campaign has been demanding: force platforms to fix their toxic environments. We must curb addictive design features that prioritise corporate profit over user wellbeing. Crucially, the UN reminds us that children have fundamental digital rights. They have the right to access information, express themselves, and participate in the modern public square. We cannot strip away these rights and sever their digital lifelines simply to compensate for the deliberate safety failures of Big Tech. These guidelines also warn against the severe privacy risks of mass age verification, demanding strict guardrails to prevent the misuse of personal data. We cannot protect children by forcing the entire population to hand over sensitive digital IDs or biometric face scans just to get online. It is time for our government to listen to the evidence, the experts, and the international community. 🔗Read the full UN guidelines on online safety via the link in our bio.