Our submission, available as a quick read report, includes key findings from our member survey alongside policy recommendations. Our RCPCH &Us programme also submitted findings from workshops with over 300 children and young people.
About the consultation
Following the passing of the Online Safety Act 2023, the technological landscape has continued to evolve with increasing evidence of children being negatively impacted by harmful content online.
On 16 February 2026, the government announced new powers which will allow them to introduce new regulations on social media companies without waiting for new primary legislation. This consultation received over 80,000 responses and will help to inform the next steps on protecting children online.
Findings from our member survey
Against a backdrop of growing concern about the impact of online activity and social media use, we sought to better understand paediatricians’ experiences and views to help ensure that child health remains at the centre of any national action.
We ran a member survey, which received 60 responses over a three-week period. Findings were reviewed by a clinical expert group representing the College’s mental health, child protection, and digital committees. Nearly 50% of paediatricians surveyed say they often or very often discuss online activity and social media use with children and young people during consultations.
The most common concerns were:
- Self-harm and suicidality (49% of survey responses)
- Bullying and peer conflict (45%)
- Mental health presentations (39%)
More about our findings and recommendations can be viewed in our quick read summary: see below, open in a new browser tab or download at the bottom of this page.
Working in coalition
We supported a collaborative approach and endorsed the Children’s Coalition for Online Safety statement and recommendations. The coalition is led by 5Rights Foundation and includes 25 of the UK’s leading children’s organisations. See the statement on the 5Rights Foundation website.
Alongside the coalition our recommendations include:
- Make online experiences suitable for different ages by mandating clear, child-friendly principles
- Remove the commercial incentives for harmful digital design
- Introduce strong leadership and accountability
The College also supported the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges submission (PDF) to this consultation, which includes examples from frontline paediatricians of children and young people they have seen who have apparent links to social media trends and online platforms.
Children and young people's views
[Online spaces provide] connection / relatability. Hope + role-modelling. Access to mental health. Empowering / educating young people. Used in the right way — transformative, especially with conditions with limited contact.
RCPCH &Us, our children and young people’s engagement programme, spoke to over 300 children and young people who have health conditions and healthcare experiences, with the support of organisations across the country, to further explore how this group use digital spaces and to ensure that their voices, experiences and perspectives are represented to government.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, General Comment No. 25 (digital rights) states that children’s rights apply fully in the digital environment, including rights to participation, information, protection and development. It emphasises that governments must both enable safe, equitable access to digital technologies and protect children from harm, while ensuring their voices shape policies that affect their digital lives.
This expectation was shared by the 300 children and young people, from 13 health based youth forums, six hospital youth forums, four hospital outpatients/in patient areas, three health-based research groups and two universal groups, alongside 75 individuals who took part in our engagement programme.
Most were spending over five hours online to connect with friends, to have fun or find out information. For children and young people with health conditions, accessing communities, experiences and stories linked to their conditions was seen as an important part of being part of online spaces. This supported their mental health, their own learning and self-advocacy, and provided representation and practical health management tips.
Online harms were also identified. These included misinformation and unreliable advice, challenges around cyberbullying and trolling, contributing to poor or worsening mental health, being linked into harmful content and experiencing over-use, addiction and doomscrolling.
Their hopes for the future are for:
- Enhanced medial and digital literacy
- Better education for families and those supporting children and young people on how to manage and learn about being safe in online spaces
- Better content moderation and age verification
- Regulation, not prohibition, with clearer platform accountability
- Dedicated young people friendly platforms to use
- Involvement of children and young people in identifying solutions and shaping policy and services that are for them, with them.
You can download their report below.