The Scottish government is inviting families to share their experiences of using smartphones, social media and the internet, identify what support they need to stay safe online.

The first survey will investigate  how children and young people use screens, apps and social media, as well as assessing the possible effects on their wellbeing and their confidence in staying safe on the internet.

The second will ask parents or carers about their own screen use, how confident they are in supporting their children’s screen use, and what resources they would find helpful.

Online safety legislation rests with the UK Government, but Scottish ministers want to investigate what more can be done with devolved powers. The Scottish Government will also conduct a review of more than 140 post-Covid research papers examining the impact of digital media use on the wellbeing of children and young people. The results of both the review and the surveys will be used to deliver new policy to reduce the impact of online harms.
 

Children and Young People Minister Siobhian Brown said: “Going online and using social media gives young people access to huge amounts of information, which can have positive benefits for their learning and connection to friends, family and the world. However, it can also have a harmful impact on their physical and mental health and wellbeing. We also know parents and carers are worried about how long young people spend online, what content they may be viewing and the addictive nature of some apps.

“We will continue to push the UK Government to go further – for example we want to see a Social Media Levy applied to online platforms which can then be reinvested back into our young people. However, we are also focused on what we can do within our powers in Scotland to ensure children and young people are safe and supported in their online lives, as part of a public health approach to online safety.

“To that end, we are seeking the views of as many people as possible, particularly around what support and information they would find most helpful. The surveys are completely anonymous and will help us to inform any public health campaign on this important issue.

“This work comes on top of our action to create phone-free learning environments to ensure pupils can learn free from the disruption associated with mobile phones.”