Westminster Report

BY David Burton-Sampson MP for Southend West & Leigh.
Do you think social media should be banned for under 16s? In the heat of the current debate, I want to know your views. So, I have launched a survey on social media to listen to your views.
I want to hear your thoughts about screen time for young children and whether there should be a social media ban for the under 16’s here, after other countries like Australia and Spain have decided to go down that route.
I want the voices of Southend West and Leigh to be part of this national conversation so I would urge you to join in. Would you support a ban and if not, why not? Let me know and I can make sure you are heard in parliament.
This government has just launched a campaign to give parents confidence to have a conversation with their children about the content they see online. There’s new guidance on safety settings, conversation prompts and age-appropriate advice for tackling misinformation and harmful content.
We know it is a minefield for parents, who need support on how to supervise their children’s use of social media and don’t know where to get it.
New research shows that half of British parents admit to never having spoken to their children about harmful online content, despite 90% of 11-year-olds owning a smartphone these days.
In a poll of more than one thousand UK parents, a quarter of them felt they don’t know what their child is seeing, with more than half admitting they don’t have any support to help them navigate these conversations.
So, this campaign will help parents and give them practical tools to have regular, open conversations with their children about what they see and how they interact online.
It’s so important to give young people the childhood they deserve and prepare them for the future. We need them to thrive in the age of social media but to do that we also need to keep them safe.
This Labour government is also raising awareness over harmful body-shaming, rage bait and misogynistic content on social media and taking measures to make it illegal to supply the tools for creating non-consensual intimate images.
In my work on the Women and Equalities Committee, I have heard many accounts of how harmful content affects well-being and safety, particularly of women and girls.
I know many parents are worried about what their children see and do online – often out of sight, and at times beyond their control.
We need this National Conversation and consultation on children’s digital wellbeing to give every young person the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in work and life. So, let me know your thoughts, then we can help shape new the measures Keep your eyes on my social media or e mail me for details, if you are interested: [email protected]
In parliament I spoke in a recent debate on Ukraine discussing the Non-Recognition of Russian occupied territories there. Ukrainians are clear, they are and will always be Ukrainian and the occupied territories should be returned to them as part of any peace deal.
Putin’s so-called “draft peace plan” demands that Kyiv give up land. Ukraine is right to reject this. Conceding territory is not peace — it is capitulation. International law is clear: no state can acquire territory by force, and the world has consistently refused to legitimise borders drawn through coercion.
Alongside our NATO partners, we remain steadfast in our policy of non-recognition of Russia’s illegal occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Sevastopol, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
The Kremlin may talk about peace, but its actions show no willingness to withdraw its demands. Ukraine is not about to raise the white flag, and we will stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
I also had the dubious pleasure of having a go at using a bomb disposal robot, while in Portsmouth, as part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme.
At the Navy’s Dive Centre I learned about the important work and training that they do and found out about the robots, which deal with old ordnance and increasingly, home-made devices called IEDs. I knew my childhood practice with remote controlled cars would come in useful one day!
I will keep you posted on my further exploits on manoeuvres with them and would appreciate it if you can update me with your views on social media.
Read more
Visit: https://leigh-on-sea.news
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighonsea.news
X : @leighonsea_news
Contact us: https://leigh-on-sea.news/contact-us
Email: [email protected]