Parents have been crying out for support when it comes to their children being on social media. So that’s why we’ve made this big decision – to put power back in to parents’ hands, and to give children their childhood back.

One of the greatest threats to internet freedom and privacy are these manipulative laws, now spreading, that force people to prove they're of a certain age to use social media platforms and other sites. The UK Government, naturally, is now seeking this. The defense of these laws is emotionally powerful by appealing to child protection, but the real goal is online surveillance, an end to anonymity, and control over political content that young people can access. Few have done a better job reporting on these tyrannical threats than @TaylorLorenz. Read this:

We are banning social media access for under 16s. These days kids must find their feet in a world where technology intrudes into every area of their life. I just can’t let that go on anymore. So we’re giving children their childhoods back.

'We will make further statements in July about VPNs and further restrictions' Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told #BBCBreakfast she will outline more details next month about the social media ban on under 16s in the UK - as well as additional restrictions on Virtual Private Networks, curfews and chatbots bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2ky…

Families have been crying out for action to protect children from harmful social media – and we've worked with them to find a real solution. We are really worried that the government hasn't listened, and has instead come up with a half-baked policy that won't keep children safe.

Parents have been crying out for support when it comes to their children being on social media. So that’s why we’ve made this big decision – to put power back in to parents’ hands, and to give children their childhood back.

🚨NEW: Keir Starmer has claimed his critics are "wrong every time"

Trust in news hits a new low, research suggests bbc.in/4uFL0Zz

Thousands of foreign students vanish from Britain after failing to pay nearly £900MILLION in loans gbnews.com/money/migrant-cri…

🚨 WATCH: School children react to the UK social media ban for under-16s live on BBC News

People will attack this policy, but after extensive government consultation, 90% of the parents of under-16s support it. They have watched social media consume huge portions of their children’s lives, so have a very different perspective. Social media amplifies narcissism, materialism, envy and division at an age when young minds are still developing. It keeps children trapped in a digital ecosystem designed to maximise engagement at the expense of real-world experiences, time outdoors, hobbies, independence, and learning how to socialise and build genuine friendships. Perhaps most damaging of all, it encourages constant comparison. Children are measuring themselves against carefully curated versions of other people’s lives every hour of every day. It creates feelings of inadequacy and anxiety on a scale that older generations simply never experienced. There will be much outrage about this, but this policy is truly about protecting children, and anyone who cares about the future of society should support it.

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Parents have been crying out for support when it comes to their children being on social media. So that’s why we’ve made this big decision – to put power back in to parents’ hands, and to give children their childhood back.