Plans to make phone use safer for children watered down

A bill which had suggested banning smartphones in schools and addictive algorithms aimed at young teenagers has been watered down to gain government support.

Labour MP Josh MacAlister, who is bringing the private members’ bill, told MPs during a parliamentary debate on Friday that reducing smartphone use in law would be a “process”, not one “big bang” event.

The proposed legislation calls for the government to say within a year whether it will raise the digital age of consent from 13 to 16 – meaning online companies could not receive children’s data without parental permission until that age.

Parents need further guidance on smartphone and social media use by children, it adds.

Private members’ bills rarely make it into law without government backing, but they are an opportunity for backbenchers to raise an issue’s profile.

The proposed new legislation has been watered down since it was first…