Committee urges new law to curb predatory design and protect children online

The Joint Committee on Children and Equality released a report urging lawmakers to enact a bill that would limit predatory design on social-media platforms and embed safety-by-design principles. Key proposals include automatically disabling features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic amplification of harmful content, and behavioural profiling for users under 18. The committee also recommends a mandatory age-classification system for all digital products, mirroring existing age limits for toys and films, and calls for national-level blocking of underage access to risky content.

Findings are based on seven public sessions with 34 stakeholder groups and direct input from children and young people gathered from December 2025 to May 2026. Chairwoman Keira Keogh warned that online harms are increasingly translating into real-world impacts on families and communities, and she stressed that coordinated action by platforms, regulators, and legislators is essential for meaningful child protection.