Online Safety: Children and Young People

Jim Shannon Excerpts

Tuesday 26th November 2024 Westminster Hall

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I congratulate the hon. Member for Darlington (Lola McEvoy) on setting the scene so very well and on her insightful knowledge of the subject. I am very much a supporter of the Online Safety Act, and I have spoken about it on many occasions in the past. I believe we need strong protections for our children and young people; there is just so much danger out there, and it only seems to be getting worse. I have heard some horror stories of the dangers online, so it is great to discuss such matters and try to get answers from the Minister, who I wish well in the position she now holds.

Many will be aware—my staff are certainly fully aware—that my knowledge of the world of social media is somewhat limited; I am just about using text messages on the phone. However, social media and AI have brought tremendous advantages. The Office for National Statistics revealed that 83% of 12 to 15-year-olds now own a smartphone with full internet access. It is rare to see a young person who does not have one. My grandchildren, young as they are, seem to have all the knowledge that this old boy does not.

Cyber-bullying, grooming and online exploitation are, however, at the forefront of the dangers. The Police Service of Northern Ireland revealed that, in 2023, crimes involving children being contacted online by sexual predators rose by nearly a third. Officers working with the specialist unit say that they had the busiest year since its establishment in 2010. How worrying is that trend? Grooming can happen anywhere.

Another issue of importance that I want to focus on is self-harm and suicide among younger generations. Suicides in Northern Ireland are up by 8% from what they were last year for those people in the younger category—and last year they were horrendous. More than three quarters of people saw self-harm content online for the first time at the age of 14 or younger, and individuals with a history of self-harm report being 10 years old or younger when they first viewed it. Such things are incredibly worrying. We need to see safeguards against those as young as 10 seeing that damaging content, including on self-harm.

I am aware that issues regarding content on eating disorders are also prevalent. My office has been contacted about them by countless parents; it is a massive issue for my office. There is a clear danger to life from some of this content, which has led to hundreds of young girls and boys being referred to specialist clinics and counselling to help them through it. For any parent or family, that is just heartbreaking.

The online safety strategy and action plan was brought to the Executive in Northern Ireland by the Department of Health in 2020 to last until and be reviewed in 2025. Thankfully the Online Safety Act 2023, led from Westminster, applies to Northern Ireland, and with 40% of young people using social media there is a clear need for that legislation. Again, I hope that it can be strong enough to combat the dangers that are out there.

Ever mindful of your timescale, Mr Dowd, and to give others the opportunity to speak, I will conclude. The online world and its advancements are truly a wonderful thing—even for someone like me, who does not know how it works—but there are clear problems with some of the aspects surrounding it. I hope that we can work together, alongside Ministers and large social media companies, to do our best for our young people, to use the online world to their advantage and to give them the best start in life. We want them to have that best start, but we want them to be safe—that is what we are asking for. I look to the Minister for her input and her reassurance that the things we have asked for can actually happen.