The MPs have joined a growing push to ban all under‑16s from using social media, warning that children are being exposed to addictive platforms and harmful content on a daily basis.
The joint letter says that children are becoming “anxious, unhappy and unable to focus on learning” because of the sheer amount of time spent online.
The MPs point to research showing the average 12‑year‑old spends 29 hours a week on a smartphone, much of it on platforms they say are “designed to be addictive”. They warn that mental‑health referrals are soaring, with more than 500 children a day being sent for anxiety support in England alone.
The letter argues that the burden shouldn’t fall on parents, but on tech giants, who they say must be forced to enforce age limits properly.
The push follows a major move in Australia, where new laws now block under‑16s from having accounts on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Meta says it removed around 550,000 accounts in the first days of the crackdown.
The MPs say the UK risks “being left behind” unless it follows suit.
Alongside Antoniazzi and Tufnell, the other Welsh signatories are Ruth Jones (Newport West), Andrew Ranger (Wrexham) and Steve Witherden (Montgomeryshire & Glyndŵr).
(Image: Fred Thomas MP)
Suppose she has to be seen doing something because she does sweet FA for her constituents.