The Mayor of London's office has been ringing alarm bells about the scourge of online harms on young people in the capital, as preparations gather pace for a proposed social media ban under the age of 16. Sadiq Khan is now calling for tougher action from Ofcom to tackle violent and misogynistic content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Mr Khan's demands coincide with the launch of a £5m programme in London aimed at combating online harms among young people. This initiative will see the city's Violence Reduction Unit committing £4.9m to digital youth work, mentoring for girls and young women, training for parents and teachers, and programmes designed to empower young people to challenge harmful online behaviour.
The push for stronger regulation comes as ministers are expected to unveil further details of the UK's social media ban this week. The new measures will include overnight curfews and the default disabling of autoplay features for users aged 16 and 17. However, tech companies have raised concerns about the lack of clarity on what constitutes 'social media' under the new rules, with fears that overly broad definitions could inadvertently catch educational platforms, gaming services, and other user-to-user communication tools.
Research by the Violence Reduction Unit highlights how social media has amplified disputes among young people, creating pressure to engage and making conflicts harder to disengage from. The analysis also notes a correlation between increases in misogynistic posts and police-recorded violence against women and girls on the same day.
The study that informed the government's proposal involved over 300 families and found that teenagers who reduced their social media engagement experienced improved sleep, enhanced concentration, and lower stress levels. Tech Secretary Liz Kendall is set to make an announcement later this week, but tech companies remain concerned about the lack of detail on how the ban will be enforced.