Privacy Concerns Emerge Over Children’s Data in Government Consultation
Campaigners express alarm that parents and children participating in the government’s consultation on social media restrictions could see their personal data shared with major tech firms like Google and Meta.
The consultation, titled ‘Growing up in the online world: a national consultation,’ targets parents and carers of individuals aged 21 and under, as well as children and young people from 10 to 21. Participants must accept the privacy policy of Savanta, the survey platform provider, which notes potential data sharing with suppliers including Google, LinkedIn, and Meta to enhance services and targeting.
Parents urge the government to revise the terms to prevent such sharing. Officials maintain that the policy covers only basic technical data, such as IP addresses, and does not include personal responses to the consultation questions.
Upcoming Debate on Under-16 Social Media Restrictions
MPs prepare to debate a proposed ban on social media for those under 16 next week, following support from the House of Lords for an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The government favors flexible measures, potentially including curfews or time limits, launched this week to address online safety amid rapid technological changes.
Reactions from Campaigners and Experts
Lord Nash, the Conservative peer advocating for the under-16 ban, called the data-sharing revelation ‘deeply concerning.’ He stated, ‘It has long been clear that this consultation is a gift to big tech, providing cover for delay while the companies mobilise opposition to any meaningful action. The Government now urgently needs to make clear that every parent and child who takes part in this consultation will not have their personal data shared with the very companies they want regulated.’
He encouraged public action via raisetheage.org.uk to support his amendment raising the age limit to 16 immediately.
Harry Amies, founder of the online child protection group Unplug.Scot, which identified the policy details, demanded suspension of the consultation. He said, ‘The discovery that not only parents’ but children’s personal data may be shared with Meta and Google, without their explicit consent or knowledge, is extremely concerning. The Government needs to urgently change the terms of this consultation to ensure this does not happen.’
Bereaved Parents’ Call for Action
Twenty-three bereaved parents, including Esther Ghey—whose 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered—and Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died attempting an online challenge in 2022, press MPs to back an Australia-style under-16 ban. They argue that families cannot regulate powerful tech companies alone, stating, ‘Our children should be here. They should be at school, at home, arguing with their siblings, planning their futures. Instead, we are left trying to understand how platforms designed and engineered by some of the most powerful companies in the world were allowed to reach into their bedrooms and shape their lives without meaningful protection.’
The group warns that delays allow tech firms to weaken reforms, leaving children exposed to known harms.
Government Clarifies Privacy Policy
A DSIT spokesman dismissed the concerns as ‘utterly absurd,’ explaining, ‘The reference in question has nothing whatsoever to do with the views people share in this consultation. Like every major website, Savanta are legally required to state that if someone is already logged into platforms like Facebook, Instagram or X when responding to the survey those companies may collect basic technical data such as an IP address. It has no connection to, and no impact on, the personal views or details people choose to share to help us make the next steps on online safety policy.’
