Smartphones ban may cause more harm than good, says Molly Russell’s father | Internet safety
Government proposals to ban the sale of smartphones to under-16s and raise the minimum age for accessing social media risk causing more harm than good, the father of Molly Russell has warned.
Ian Russell said it was “no surprise” there is a groundswell of pressure for tougher regulation of social media platforms but said plans for a fresh crackdown were flawed.
Writing in the Guardian, Russell said poorly thought-out policies could have unintended consequences.
“By rushing to introduce new measures that may sound attractive but that research has shown may be deeply flawed, my fear is that there is a real risk the government introduces a set of poorly thought-out measures that result in multiple unintended consequences. Put simply, much of what is being suggested may cause more harm than good,” he said.
Russell has become a prominent voice in the debate over online safety after the death of his
