Tameside families urged to take part in landmark consultation on children’s online safety

Ashton-under-Lyne MP Angela Rayner is urging families across Tameside to take part in a major national consultation on how to better protect children online.

Parents, guardians and young people across Tameside are being encouraged to share their views as the Government launches what it describes as the world’s most ambitious consultation on children’s digital wellbeing.

The three-month consultation will gather opinions on how to keep young people safe across social media, AI chatbots and gaming platforms, while also exploring new ideas aimed at tackling the impact of excessive screen time.

Among the options being considered are potential minimum age limits for social media, restrictions on features that encourage endless scrolling late at night, and whether overnight curfews for 16 and 17-year-olds could support better sleep and wellbeing.

Speaking about the initiative, Ms Rayner said many families across her constituency are increasingly concerned about the influence of online platforms on their children.

“Parents across my constituency worry about what social media is doing to their children's sleep, concentration and mental health,” she said.

“Many feel they are fighting a losing battle against platforms designed to keep children scrolling. They are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having.

“They worry about AI, and about their children talking to chatbots as if they’re real people.”

The consultation will also look at whether children should be able to use AI chatbots without restriction, how age-verification rules could be strengthened, and what extra digital literacy support parents and young people may need.

Ms Rayner added that it was important for families across Ashton, Audenshaw, Droylsden and Dukinfield to help shape the Government’s approach.

“The Government is determined to act, and I want people in Ashton, Audenshaw, Droylsden and Dukinfield to help shape what that looks like,” she said.

“This is why I’m asking children and parents to take part in this important consultation on how young people can thrive in an age of rapid technological change.”

She continued: “The path to a good life is a great childhood, one full of love, learning and play. That applies just as much to the online world as it does to the real one.

“We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having.

“This is why we’re asking children and parents to take part in this landmark consultation so we can help create a digital world that gives young people the childhood they deserve and prepares them for the future.”

The consultation is open to anyone with an interest in the issue, including parents, carers, young people, professionals who work with children, academics, civil society groups and members of the technology industry.

Dedicated versions have also been created specifically for young people and for parents and carers to make it easier for them to share their experiences and views.

The consultation is available online at www.gov.uk/growing-up-online and will run until May 26, with the Government expected to publish its response later this summer.