Beeban Kidron says it is not ‘nanny state’ to prevent firms investing billions on making platforms addictive from targeting under-18s
A leading online safety campaigner has urged the UK government to “detoxify the dopamine loops” of addictive social media platforms as tech companies prepare to implement significant child protection measures.
Beeban Kidron, a crossbench peer, asked the technology secretary, Peter Kyle, to use the Online Safety Act to bring forward new codes of conduct on disinformation and on tech features that can lead to children becoming addicted to online content.
“The secretary of state has a power under the Online Safety Act to bring forward new codes of conduct,” said Kidron. “We have urgently asked him to do so, but so far we have been rebuffed.”
Kidron added it was not “nanny state” behaviour to prevent companies that invest billions in making their platforms addictive from targeting under-18s. “It is up to ministers to use their powers to detoxify those dopamine loops – they have the power – so why not to do so right now?”
