Too much information? Lords to investigate children and the internet
- “Boy, 7, racks up £4,000 bill playing Jurassic World on his father's iPad” – Daily Telegraph, December 2015
- “Children as young as FOUR are the next generation of YouTube stars” – Daily Mail, March 2016
- “Pornography 'desensitising young people'” – BBC online, June 2016
- “Social media is harming the mental health of teenagers” – The Guardian, September 2015.
The House of Lords Communications Committee launches a new inquiry today looking at the impact of the internet on children.
The inquiry will explore the risks and dangers presented to children by pervasive access to the internet, as well as the benefits. The Committee will also investigate how children's use of the internet is governed and regulated, examining the roles that parents, schools, media companies and regulators should all play.
The Committee will start its inquiry tomorrow, Tuesday 19 July, by taking evidence from experts and organisations in the field of child protection and well-being.
Committee Chairman, Lord Best, said:
“The use of the internet by children is now so established, so common, that we need to understand the risks. Are we keeping young people safe in a digital age? How much of an impact is the internet having on the development of children? Are regulations around access, risk, and data protection adequate? How can providers of internet services be encouraged to incorporate concern for the welfare of children in designing their products? These are key issues which we will want to investigate.
“However, we want to make sure that the inquiry does not dismiss the internet as overwhelmingly detrimental to young people, and we will examine closely the opportunities it is giving to children, from learning through to social interaction.”
The deadline for written evidence submissions is Friday 26 August 2016.
The first oral evidence session will be tomorrow, Tuesday 19 July, when the Committee will be hearing from witnesses at 3.30pm and 4.30pm. See the Committee's website for more details on the witnesses and expected questions in the evidence session.
