The National Education Union (NEU) is powering a new campaign calling on the government to go further in their efforts to safeguard childhood – and Health Professionals for Safer Screens (HPFSS) are brightened by their vision. Robbed: Big Tech’s Little Victims campaign is led by the NEU and supported by a coalition of Teachers, Education staff, Parents, Carers, Youth workers, Mental health professionals and Advocates for digital rights and child protection.
The campaign addresses harms posed by the digital landscape and is gaining momentum in national media. Robbed: Big Tech’s Little Victims is calling on the government to:
•Raise the age of social media access from 13 to 16.
•Guarantee space on the school curriculum to teach digital literacy.
•Introduce a windfall tax on social media companies to pay for mental health services.
•Introduce guidance on the health impacts of social media on children.
•Introduce a watermark for ethical advertising on social media platforms.
These campaigning outcomes are in line with public perceptions, as explained in a recent NEU report. Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the NEU is quoted “Every day, teachers see the damage Big Tech is doing to children and young people. Students are being robbed – of innocence, of attention, of sleep and joy – arriving at school exhausted, anxious, and already overwhelmed by what they’ve seen on social media”.
In addition to academic data, the anecdotal avalanche is gathering momentum. Amongst the professions involved in childhood, we have all seen enough to understand the harm posed by Big Tech to children. HPFSS fully supports the Robbed: Big Tech’s Little Victims campaign.