UK Government Urges Parents to Actively Ask Children about Harmful Online Content

UK Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Liz Kendall (photo; x @SciTechgovuk)

JAKARTA - The British government on February 10 encouraged parents to be more active in talking to their children about harmful content that they may encounter on the internet. This proposal emerged amid a government study on the possibility of implementing a social media ban for children under the age of 16, emulating Australia's policy.

Citing research that shows that half of parents in the UK have never discussed harmful content with their children, the government launched a campaign titled You Won't Know Until You Ask. This campaign is aimed at providing support and guidance so that parents are more confident in starting conversations about their children's online activities.

The British Minister of Science, Innovation, and Technology, Liz Kendall, said that parents' concerns about what their children see and do in cyberspace are natural.

"We are determined to give children a decent childhood and prepare them for the future," Kendall said in a statement. "That is why we are supporting parents through this campaign and launching a consultation on how young generations can live and thrive in the era of social media."

The campaign will help parents understand security settings on various social media platforms, as well as facilitate discussions on issues such as misinformation and harmful content. The government said the campaign would be supported by television ads as well as content on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

In the initial phase, the campaign will be held in the Yorkshire region, northern England, and the Midlands, before being expanded to other areas.

The initiative comes weeks after the British government said it was ready to take firm action to protect children in the digital realm, including considering a social media ban for users under 16, as Australia has been doing since last December.

British ministers are scheduled to visit Australia to study the country's approach firsthand. Kendall previously stated that Britain was considering the same age limit as Australia.

This push for restrictions also reflects a broader trend in Europe. In recent weeks, Spain, Greece, France, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic have said they are considering similar policies, as concerns grow over digital technologies that some say are designed to be addictive.

For the British government, this is not just a matter of regulating platforms, but an effort to balance child protection with the realities of life in the digital age. In that context, a simple conversation between parents and children is now positioned as the first line of defense, before the state intervenes further.