APPG on Social Media - UK Safer Internet Centre

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Media works to drive policy change that maximises the positives and mitigates the negatives of social media.

Building on the findings of the #StatusofMind report by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Social Media was established in March 2018. Responsibility for the APPG was passed from RSPH to the UK Safer Internet Centre in July 2020.

The group’s purpose is to drive policy change that mitigates the negatives and maximises the positives of social media for young people.

Under the RSPH, the APPG has put forward a number of policy recommendations, including:

Establish a duty of care on all social media companies with registered UK users aged 24 and under in the form of a statutory code of conduct, with Ofcom to act as regulator.
Create a Social Media Health Alliance, funded by a 0.5% levy on the profits of social media companies, to fund research, educational initiatives and establish clearer guidance for the public.
Review whether the “addictive” nature of social media is sufficient for official disease classification.
Urgently commission robust, longitudinal research, into understanding the extent to which the impact of social media on young people’s mental health and wellbeing is one of cause or correlation.

I’m delighted to be working alongside the Safer Internet Centre at such a critical time for protecting people, and particularly children, from online harms. Through working closely with the Internet Watch Foundation in recent years, I know that their unwavering commitment to taking action on online harms will hugely benefit the work of our cross-party group.

Chris Elmore MP, Chair of the APPG for Social Media

“Without a doubt, we all have so much to be thankful about with the internet and social media. It has, for many people stuck at home, been a real lifeline, a way to keep in touch with friends and loved ones, and to boost mental wellbeing. It can be an immense power for good, but we must be alive to the potential for misuse and do all we can to make it as safe as we can for our children. We are very excited to be taking on this vital role and will be bringing all our experience and expertise to bear as the new Secretariat of the APPG on Social Media.”

Susie Hargreaves OBE
UK Safer Internet Centre Director & CEO of IWF

Future meeting dates of the APPG

Monday 17 May 2021 – Session with Facebook to discuss abuse of politicians

Wednesday 19 May 2021 – Selfie Generation Inquiry Session: Law Enforcement and Threat Assessment Panel

If you are a Parliamentarian interested in attending a future meeting of the APPG, please contact Michael Tunks mike@iwf.org.uk or Abigail Fedorovsky abigail@iwf.org.uk who will be happy to provide you with the zoom links for the events.