- Police chiefs have welcomed the government’s plan to ban social media for under 16s, but have warned it is not a “standalone solution”.
- Acting chief constable Becky Riggs, National Police Chiefs’ Council ( NPCC ) child protection and abuse investigation (CPAI) lead, said: “It must sit within a wider, system wide approach to improving online safety and reducing criminality for all users.”
- She added this broader strategy “includes stronger platform accountability, function level regulation, and the development of effective, built in safeguards.”
- Ms Riggs said the NPCC “will continue to work closely with partners, including industry, education and safeguarding services, to ensure the best possible outcomes for children.”
- NPCC chair Gavin Stephens added: “A ban alone is not enough, and ongoing action is needed from policing and government, education, communities, and particularly tech platforms themselves."
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