Children’s use of social media compared to ‘risk of smoking’

Matt Jukes said the UK could not afford to delay taking serious action on the negative impacts of social media - (PA)

Britain’s head of counter-terrorism policing has called for Parliament to “explore” implementing age verification on social media sites as he compared the harm caused by social media to the “cancer” caused by smoking.

Giving evidence to The Times Crime and Justice Commission – a year-long project considering the most urgent problems facing police, prisons, courts and victims – Matt Jukes said his team had discussed a ban on social media use by children with colleagues in Australia, which passed world-first legislation on the issue last year.