What’s the problem?
The Government has proposed amendments to the Children Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which would give Ministers the power to restrict access to "internet services".
This is supposed to give the Government the power to ban under 16s from social media but “internet services" is a very broad definition, which means any online platform can be included. The wording of the amendment means they could do this without even having to prove that these sites are harmful for children.
If a Minister used this power all adults would have to go through a digital ID check to establish their age to access these restricted online services. Anyone refusing to hand over sensitive data to a third-party could face blocks, or time restricted curfews for when services can be accessed.
The Government also wants the power so that they - not parents - can impose a curfew on under 18s' use of the Internet. This could mean that they could, for example, set an 8pm curfew on Snapchat, Fortnite and even sites like Wikipedia!
And while under 18s will be banned from those spaces, adults could have to go through a digital ID-check to use the Internet at night.
In January, the Lords passed an amendment to restrict access to under 16s to ‘user-to-user’ services. While this was also problematic, it was at least more narrow in its focus. The Government has not accepted this amendment. They have instead tabled sweeping 'Henry VIII' powers* that could bring in even more restrictive measures following a national consultation.
These powers could be used by any future Government to restrict access to almost any online service you could imagine.
This is no longer about banning under 16s from social media – it’s about control over all information and forcing adults through digital ID checks to access the Internet.
We have to stop this broad and draconian proposal from becoming law.
