Professor Brian O'Neill:

We addressed this topic in our report at the time. The issue was underage use by nine year olds. We had research to show that large proportions of under 13s were active on Facebook. Such children are not protected. Social media companies have privacy protections for children between the ages of 13 and 18 years. We know about the main problems that arise for those who are outside these protections. They tend to enter false ages and their data are not adequately protected. Realistically, by setting the age at 16 years, we drive a set of activity underground in a way that would be impossible to contend with. Neither is it a good signal to suggest parental responsibility is a matter of signing consent. Parental responsibility-----