Campaigners warn that parents and children as young as 10 participating in the government’s consultation on social media restrictions face risks of their personal data being shared with tech giants Google and Meta.
Consultation Privacy Policy Sparks Alarm
The “Growing up in the online world: a national consultation” targets parents and carers of individuals aged 21 and under, as well as children and young people aged 10 to 21. Participants must accept the privacy policy of Savanta, the survey platform contractor.
Savanta’s policy indicates that data may be shared with suppliers including Google, LinkedIn, and Meta to enhance services and targeting. Campaigners demand immediate changes to prevent this data sharing.
Push for Under-16 Social Media Ban
MPs prepare to debate a proposed ban on social media for under-16s next week, following the House of Lords’ support for an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The measure aims to protect young users through enforceable restrictions.
The government favors flexible powers, such as curfews or time limits, and recently launched this consultation to shape online safety measures amid rapid technological changes.
Critics Demand Action
Lord Nash, the Conservative peer leading the Lords push for an under-16 ban, calls the data-sharing revelation “deeply concerning.” He states: “It has long been clear that this consultation is a gift to big tech, providing cover for delay while the companies mobilise opposition to any meaningful action.”
The former schools minister urges: “The Government now urgently needs to make clear that every parent and child who takes part in this consultation will not have their personal data shared with the very companies they want regulated.” He encourages public support for his amendment via raisetheage.org.uk.
Harry Amies, founder of the online child protection group Unplug.Scot, which identified the policy issue, calls for suspending the consultation. He says: “The discovery that not only parents’ but children’s personal data may be shared with Meta and Google, without their explicit consent or knowledge, is extremely concerning. The Government needs to urgently change the terms of this consultation to ensure this does not happen.”
Bereaved Parents’ Plea
Twenty-three bereaved parents, including Esther Ghey—whose 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered—urge MPs to back an Australia-style under-16 ban. Led by Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died attempting an online challenge in 2022, they declare: “Our children should be here. They should be at school, at home, arguing with their siblings, planning their futures.”
The group warns: “Instead, we are left trying to understand how platforms designed and engineered by some of the most powerful companies in the world were allowed to reach into their bedrooms and shape their lives without meaningful protection.” They highlight tech firms’ resources and stress that delays allow further weakening of reforms.
Government Rebuttal
A DSIT spokesman dismisses the concerns as “utterly absurd,” explaining: “The reference in question has nothing whatsoever to do with the views people share in this consultation.”
The spokesman clarifies that, like major websites, Savanta must note that if users are logged into platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or X during the survey, those companies may collect basic technical data such as an IP address. This has no link to personal views or details shared for online safety policy development.
