The war on social media giants seems to be extending beyond America’s offensive on Facebook. 

Britain’s Health Secretary has just launched what’s been dubbed ‘a blistering attack’ on social media companies, for turning a blind eye to the emotional problems and mental health damage, suffered by children who he claims have far too much access online.

He refers to the fact that despite age restrictions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat of 13 years old, many children are still active on those sites. He’s angry that the goliaths of social media haven’t come up with as yet, safeguards to control access, he calls it ‘morally wrong’ and ‘unfair on parents’. 

This comes at an interesting time for us of course, as parents here in week two of the school holidays, those of us not away on a beach somewhere warm, with a house full of kids who want to do what? Sit on their screens PS4, TV, the laptop, the cell phone, the iPad. 

Readymade entertainment literally at their fingertips and it costs us as parents, very little for them to just sit quietly and zone out. In fact, more often than not, it suits us. So how complicit are we?

Tired working parents, grateful for the peace and quiet? How readily should we be snapping those screens down and encouraging other stuff? Stuff that doesn’t involve a charger or a wifi connection.

It’s hard as parents, to be vigilant about this especially when it’s an easily relied on a virtual babysitter. Yes, we can put parental controls on things, but the more tech-savvy child doesn’t take long to hijack that and as for teenagers trying to take their cellphone off them is akin to removing one of their arms. 

So yes we as parents can and should step up, but so too can these companies.

The UK is threatening legislation against them if they don’t lift their game. So what exactly are they supposed to be doing? Well according to Britain’s Health Secretary, devising ways to verify the age of children accessing social media platforms for a start.

He says the progress on age verification falls well short and in effect, these companies seem content with allowing thousands of users to breach their own terms and conditions regards age.

He also wants them to work on promoting screen time limits, and measures to end cyber-bullying. I wish him all the luck in the world with that one.

When adults, who should know better, still indulge in cyber-bullying, on a daily basis how on earth are children supposed to stop it? Concerns over the growing online culture of intimidation, and for teens, sexual imagery, are not unique to Britain.

We have the same online pressures here negative body image pressures for young girls, mental health problems, stress, anxiety, and depression.

It’s something every government and every parent should be worried about. A brighter spotlight being put on these big corporates, who’re hooking our kids in, is no bad thing.

We also as parents need to be more vigilant, no matter how busy we are, or how bored they may be on school holidays, to try to teach them the mental health merits, of switching off.