Growing up in the online world: a national consultation by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

The IET supports government efforts to strengthen legislation and regulation to protect children and young people from harms online whilst cultivating digital literacy. In a digital future, young people must develop online skills that complement their real-world soft skills, enabling socialisation, employability, and full participation as digitally native citizens. 

While social media can help build these skills when used safely, there are ongoing issues about online harm. The IET emphasises that digital skills are crucial for future jobs, with existing shortages in areas like cybersecurity and software engineering. Although measures such as restricting under-16s’ access to social media may improve safety, they could also have unintended consequences, so a balanced approach is needed. Social media can have a negative impact on young people, so while strong protections are necessary, education is important in helping them use digital technologies safely alongside legal safeguards.

Recommendations:

• Working with industry experts and stakeholders: The Government must work with cross-sector industry experts to ensure that new technologies are safer by design and continue to consult with a range of stakeholders including young people and youth-oriented organisations such as The Stemettes.  
• Continue to gather evidence long term: The Government should draw on evidence from existing pilots, studies and social media bans, to evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions and ensure that the most appropriate policy levers are used, while minimising unintended consequences in the longer term. 
• Digital Skills and Digital Literacy: Continue to develop policies to encourage both digital skills and literacy, for example in education, alongside interventions to keep children and young people safe online. Policies in this area should be forward thinking, not responsive to incidents on a case-by-case basis, establishing a greater understanding of technology and how to critically assess it. 
• Robust Safeguards: Vulnerable users must be protected online through a combination of robust legal safeguards and education programmes that equip both young people and parents with the knowledge to stay safe online. 
• Right to digital privacy: There should be the ability to expunge your data from social media, for example on behalf of a child, or once the child reaches 18. 
• Caution over VPN bans: Children and young people may bypass age restrictions using VPNs. A ban on their use could undermine cybersecurity and have wider negative impacts on businesses and the economy. 
• Supporting families: There should be greater support to parents to understand how to limit and control access to certain content on their devices within the home and school environment.