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PA Media<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nTwo bereaved mothers fear any delay to bringing in a social media ban for young people could mean “more and more children being harmed”.<\/p>\n It comes days after the Lords voted in favour of banning under-16s from using social media services such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook in a move similar to one imposed by Australia last year.<\/p>\n Esther Ghey and Ellen Roome told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Ofcom, the regulator monitoring online safety laws, is not doing a good enough job to protect kids.<\/p>\n Ofcom, which brought in new rules last year to protect children from seeing harmful or inappropriate content online, said it is “under no illusion there is still much more to do”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In a heavy defeat for the government on Wednesday<\/a>, House of Lords peers supported the cross-party move by 261 votes to 150 – a majority of 111.<\/p>\n It means the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will have to be considered by MPs in the Commons.<\/p>\n Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has announced a three-month consultation to consider the advantages and disadvantages of a social media ban.<\/p>\n It will include exploring possible overnight curfews and actions to prevent “doom-scrolling”, and will report back to the government in the summer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ghey – whose 16-year-old daughter Brianna Ghey was murdered in a park in February 2023<\/a> by two children who planned their crime on social media apps – said more needed to be done.<\/p>\n “Whilst we’re waiting more and more children are being harmed”, Ghey said.<\/p>\n “I’ve spoken to you before about my story with Brianna and how much she suffered<\/a>“.<\/p>\n Brianna spent many hours on social media and her mother previously said her daughter wanted to be famous on TikTok.<\/p>\n She believes this contributed to her isolation and problems with her mental health in the period running up to Brianna’s death. <\/p>\n “The last two years of her life were absolutely full of suffering and it is such a waste,” Ghey said.<\/p>\n “We know that every single day 500 children are being referred to mental health services and we know that 97% of 12-year-olds own smartphones so we need to do something now.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Australia began forcing social media firms to block<\/a> users aged under 16 from having accounts on their platforms in December.<\/p>\n It is a policy being closely watched by governments around the world – including in the UK.<\/p>\n Australia’s ban was justified by campaigners and the government as necessary to protect children from harmful online content and algorithms.<\/p>\n Companies including Meta have said they agree more is needed to keep young people safe online, but do not think a blanket ban is the answer, with some experts raising similar concerns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ellen Roome – another bereaved mother whose son Julian “Jools” Sweeney died taking part in a social media challenge – joined parents who have lost children in circumstances relating to online safety at a meeting with the technology secretary on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The 49-year-old from Gloucestershire told the BBC: “How much longer are we going to let children have unregulated access?<\/p>\n “I think how much longer are we going to let children have unregulated access, they have got access to everything and I just really think it needs to go, this whole thing of waiting and seeing and waiting,” Roome told the programme.<\/p>\n “I just fundamentally think if this was a product, it would be taken off the road, it would be fixed and handed back to them. Tell you what, take it away.”<\/p>\n Roome is part of a group of parents suing TikTok in the US state of Delaware<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Ellen](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/9b9e\/live\/beb3ab00-f37e-11f0-9604-45ff132cb871.jpg.webp\")
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