(Alliance News) - UK members of parliament have voted to reject a social media ban for under-16s for the third time.
Education minister Olivia Bailey told the Commons that a consultation was the way forward before any plan to tackle social media-linked harms should be implemented.
Members voted 260 to 161 – majority 99 – to reject an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which would have raised the age for access to social media deemed harmful to 16 within a 12-month window.
It is the third time MPs have voted to reject the proposal.
As part of the bill, ministers are set to gain a flexible power to curb children's social media use with curfews, scrolling limits and restrictions on location sharing.
The government could also choose to block under-16s from specified platforms.
Bailey said: "There is a clear consensus across this House on the need to protect children online.
"But our consultation goes further than these amendments, considering a wider set of options, including risks beyond social media such as gaming and AI chatbots.
"It is not a question of whether the government acts, but how the government acts to deliver strong and enduring protections for children online."
The education minister said the government will respond to a consultation, which is set to close next month, by the summer, and have made a legislative commitment to report to parliament within six months.
Bailey also said there has been "constructive engagement" from Conservative former minister John Nash, who put forward the amendment, and the government intends to "return to these matters on Monday" in the Lords.
Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott said the government must protect children from extreme and violent content, and parents will "not forgive the continued delay".
Speaking ahead of the vote, she said: "Twice already, Labour MPs have voted against a ban.
"Parents will be forgiven, for not only feeling deeply let down, but being quite frankly baffled by what is going on.
"They've heard the prime minister promise action, yet, once again, he's preparing to lead his party through the lobbies to vote against it. If the government truly wanted change, they could deliver it today."
The government also committed to a statutory ban for phones in schools earlier this week.
Education Committee chairwoman Helen Hayes said: "There will be children who still need to have a phone in school for a whole variety of different reasons, because they are young carers, for example, or because they rely on phone-enabled software to support with a particular disability or special educational need.
"There will be some exceptions, and how that is worked through in the guidance is important for protecting those children from the pressures that might come with being the only child in the classroom who is able to have access to their phone."
Rowan Ferguson, public affairs manager at the Molly Rose Foundation, urged the government to follow the evidence rather than rushing into a social media ban.
He said: "The consensus is clear that the status quo of children being put at risk by harmful and addictive products is no longer acceptable and change must come fast.
"It's crucial the government follow the evidence and instead of rushing into a ban, that will offer a false sense of safety but quickly unravel, they must double down on robustly regulating online platforms to make safety and wellbeing the price of entry to the UK market."
Nash branded the decision to reject the amendment "disappointing", saying he would be urging colleagues in the Lords to "stand firm" on Monday.
He said: "It appears that the government and myself are entirely in agreement.
"So why can't they just put on the face of the Bill a commitment to raise the age to 16 for harmful social media sites or features now?
"The consultation can then be about precisely how we do this, as well as AI chatbots and companions, gaming, VPNs and the other equally important matters that the consultation covers.
"Whilst this goes on, children are being harmed on an unimaginable scale and in some cases may even be losing their lives due to the effects of social media. We need to move forward on this issue now."
By George Thompson and Rhiannon James, Press Association
source: PA
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