MP urges us to take part in children’s online safety consultation
04/03/2026
Sean Woodcock: “I received many emails from parents … worried about what social media is doing to their children’s sleep, concentration and mental health”
Parents and young people in the Banbury area are being urged to take part in what ministers describe as the world’s most ambitious consultation on children’s online safety.
The three-month Government review will examine sweeping proposals to protect young people using social media, gaming platforms and AI chatbots. Options under consideration include a minimum age for social media, switching off addictive features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay, mandatory overnight curfews for teenagers, tighter age verification and limits on unrestricted chatbot use.
Banbury’s MP Sean Woodcock noted the number of concerned families who had contacted him. He said: “I received many emails from parents in Banbury and North Oxfordshire, worried about what social media is doing to their children’s sleep, concentration and mental health.
“Many feel they are fighting a losing battle against platforms designed to keep children scrolling. They are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having. They worry about AI, and about their children talking to chatbots as if they’re real people.
“The Labour Government is determined to act, and I want people in Banbury and North Oxfordshire to help shape what that looks like. This is why I’m asking children and parents to take part in this important consultation on how young people can thrive in an age of rapid technological change.”
The consultation is open until May 26 and available here. It invites responses from parents, carers, young people and professionals, with a Government response expected in the summer.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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