Torsten thanks parents, teachers and residents who turned out to emergency meeting on children’s social media use

Parents, teachers, charity leaders and local residents gathered in Swansea last night for a major public meeting on children’s use of social media and online safety.  

The event was organised by Swansea West MP Torsten Bell, who reported that the topic has generated more correspondence with his office than any other policy issue this year so far. It was organised to help local people feed into the UK Government’s consultation on protecting children online, including proposals around restricting social media use for under 16s.  

At the meeting, residents heard from a panel of expert speakers who have campaigned or researched on this subject, or who see it on the frontline of their work running schools or supporting vulnerable children, before sharing their own experiences and concerns. Those included parents worried by the amount of time children spent glued to screens, and the impact on their mental well being, but also those questioning whether age restrictions on social media could be enforced.  

Mr Bell said: “This public debate showed just how deeply people in Swansea care about this issue. Parents, teachers and young people themselves all recognise that technology has transformed childhood in ways we are only beginning to understand. But many of us do already know how much we'd have missed out on as a teenager if the time and attention sink of social media had got in the way. 

“I want to thank everyone who came along and contributed so thoughtfully and respectfully to this vital discussion. The experiences and differing views everyone shared will be fed directly into the Government’s consultation that closes later this month. For anyone that couldn’t make it along, there is still time to have your voice heard – please do fill in the survey on my website and ensure the UK Government has heard your views before decisions about further action are taken.”