Gateshead care home staff 'exploited and trapped' by firm that brought them to the UK - Chronicle Live

A Panorama investigation will look at the working conditions overseas staff face at a Gateshead care home.

An undercover reporter for Panorama took a job as a care assistant at Addison Court in Ryton - one of 15 care homes in the North East owned by Prestwick Care - from September to November this year. The investigation came after allegations from health professionals about conditions at the home.

The care home relies heavily on workers from overseas who are eligible for a skilled worker visa. It means they can work in the UK, but they need to be sponsored by an employer. Prestwick Care employs about 180 overseas workers who are in the UK on visas - nearly a third of its staff base.

But in the investigation, which is due to air on December 17, staff tell the reporter they feel "exploited and trapped" by the firm that brought them to the UK to work, and claim their contracts prevented them from leaving. Prestwick Care denies any suggestion of systematic wrongdoing or bad practice.

One Indian nurse there told the reporter that she was unhappy in her job, but claims she felt she could not quit, because her visa was sponsored by Prestwick Care, and she believed she had no choice.

Ahmed (not his real name), came to the UK from the southern Indian state of Kerala in 2018. When he arrived, he said he was asked to sign a contract. He claims it said that if he left the company within five years, he would have to pay Prestwick Care more than £4,000, which included the money the company had already paid to the Home Office, and the legal fees for his visa.

According to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Code of Conduct, staff should not have to pay these costs. He claims he was told: "If you don't want to stay here on that contract, you can go back to India."

Ahmed claims Prestwick Care were trying to prevent him leaving, but he nevertheless resigned after being offered a more senior role at a care home run by another company. He claims Prestwick Care then started legal action against him, claiming that he owed them more than £5,000.

Ahmed claims he was told a clause in his contract stopped him from working for any competitor care home for six months. Ahmed claims he was told he would owe his employer thousands if he left his job.

Prestwick denies that its contracts are designed to intimidate its employees and says it is now reviewing repayment clauses in all staff contracts.

The investigation also looks at how low staffing allegedly affect the standard of care at Addison Court. An NHS nurse also claims she was so worried about some residents that she made 33 safeguarding alerts over a two-year period to the local authority, Gateshead Council.

In December 2022, Prestwick Care had its licence to sponsor overseas staff suspended by the Home Office. No reason has been given for the action.

The Home Office has now "fully revoked" Prestwick Care's licence to sponsor overseas staff. Following the safeguarding reports, including from the BBC, the regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has suspended Addison Court's "good" rating.

In a statement to the BBC, the CQC said that it was "closely monitoring Addison Court along with the other locations registered to this provider". It added that if there were immediate concerns about people's safety, "we will use our enforcement powers to keep people safe".

A spokesperson for Prestwick Care said: "Prestwick Care seeks to provide high quality care to all the residents of the Addison Court Care Home. The BCC has drawn our attention to some occasions on which we have fallen below our usual high standards.

"We are grateful and have taken immediate steps to put things right. Any suggestion that there is a systematic wrongdoing or bad practice at the care home would be unfair and inaccurate.

"The safety and well-being of our residents and staff remain paramount.

"We are fully committed to thoroughly investigating all concerns raised and taking appropriate actions as necessary. The issues between Prestwick Care and the Home Office concerning our sponsorship licence are presently before the courts and it would be wrong for us to comment further at this stage."

The full investigation, Panorama: Care Workers Under Pressure, is on BBC One at 7pm tonight (Monday) and BBC iPlayer.

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Jimmy Lai trial: heavy security presence as landmark national security case begins in Hong Kong - The Guardian

A heavy security presence and dozens of supporters surrounded a Hong Kong court on Monday morning as the national security trial of media mogul and activist, Jimmy Lai, got under way.

Lai’s trial, expected to last months, is one of the most high profile prosecutions in the Hong Kong government’s crackdown on opposition, and has been widely condemned by rights groups and other governments.

The 76-year-old pro-democracy activist and founder of the now-closed Apple Daily newspaper, has been accused of conspiring to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security, and conspiring to publish seditious material.

If convicted – a prospect observers say is likely – he faces a sentence of up to life in prison. His case will be heard before three national security judges handpicked by the government, Esther Toh, Susana D’Almada Remedios and Alex Lee.

Lai arrived at the West Kowloon Court about 7.30am Monday, driven through the gates in a Correctional Services van. By 8.15am about 100 people had lined up for public gallery seats, ahead of the trial beginning at 10am. Some had waited for hours. People wearing flag pins from Australia, UK and Canada were among those in line.

Lai was led to the dock shortly after 10am. Flanked by corrections officers, he wore a grey suit jacket, and reportedly waved to the public gallery and smiled at his supporters.

Some members of the public waved at Lai to show their support. Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen, a vocal democracy advocate in the city, was among the attendees.

Hong Kong’s security chief, Chris Tang, had flagged a large police presence for the trial, in apparent anticipation of protesters, and officers had been stationed outside the court since Sunday.

Officers vastly outnumbered civilian attenders, equipped with bomb-sniffing dogs, a Chinese-made “Sabretooth” armoured vehicle, and a bomb-disposal van stationed nearby.

A university student from the mainland said he had been there for about an hour. He said he had read about Lai on X and was curious how the trial would go.

“I think people shouldn’t be sentenced for their speech,” the politics student who declined to share his name said.

A woman in the line, who also declined to give her name, said she had been following the news about Lai closely. The retiree said she had never been to court before and did not know what to expect.

Veteran activist Alexandra “Grandma” Wong was encircled by several police officers with cordon tape while across the road from the court building. She was holding a British flag, which she became well known for carrying during the protests in Hong Kong in 2019.

Among the queue were several law students from the University of Hong Kong, who said they were there to observe the trial against Lai as a study of the national security law.

Lai has been in jail since December 2020 and is now serving a sentence of more than five years on fraud charges for violating a lease contract, a charge his supporters say was politically motivated.

In August 2020 he was arrested and later charged with the national security law violations for which he is now on trial. The UK government at the time called the charges “highly politicised”.

On Sunday, the UK foreign secretary and former prime minister, David Cameron, condemned the “politically motivated prosecution” and called for Lai’s release.

“Hong Kong’s national security law is a clear breach of the Sino-British joint declaration. Its continued existence and use is a demonstration of China breaking its international commitments,” Cameron said.

“As a prominent and outspoken journalist and publisher, Jimmy Lai has been targeted in a clear attempt to stop the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and association.”

The US state department also condemned the trial, noting as well that Lai was denied his choice of legal counsel. It called for his release, as well as “all others imprisoned for defending their rights”.

The national security law was imposed by Beijing – with the blessing of the Hong Kong government – in June 2020, in response to the previous year’s mass pro-democracy protests. Hundreds of people have since been arrested under its broad remit, which outlaws acts of sedition, secession, foreign collusion and terrorism. Critics have accused Hong Kong authorities of using it as a weapon to crush dissent.

Hong Kong authorities are pushing on, unmoved. Tang has previously praised the 100% conviction rate of the national security law, and last month said the open trial of Lai would allow the public to see how “bad” his alleged offences are.

• This article was written in collaboration with Hong Kong Free Press

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UK, Germany and France urge Israel to agree 'sustainable ceasefire' in Gaza - Financial Times

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Israel Gaza: Lord Cameron supports 'sustainable ceasefire' and warns over deaths - BBC

Getty Images

By Andre Rhoden-Paul

BBC News

The foreign secretary has said he would like to see a "sustainable ceasefire" in the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Lord Cameron also warned "too many civilians have been killed" in Gaza.

More than 18,000 people have been killed, including thousands of children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

His intervention in a Sunday Times article marks a shift in tone from the UK government, but stops short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Penning a joint article with Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Lord Cameron said he supported a ceasefire only if it was sustainable in the long term.

He said: "Our goal cannot simply be an end to fighting today. It must be peace lasting for days, years, generations.

"We therefore support a ceasefire, but only if it is sustainable."

Earlier this week the UK and Germany abstained over a United Nations resolution, backed by 153 countries, demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

On Sunday France, which was among the countries which voted for the resolution, called for an "immediate and durable truce" in the conflict, ahead of a meeting between the French and Israeli foreign ministers in Tel Aviv.

Seeking to explain the UK's position, Lord Cameron wrote: "We do not believe that calling right now for a general and immediate ceasefire, hoping it somehow becomes permanent, is the way forward."

He added: "Would Hamas stop firing rockets? Would it release the hostages? Would its murderous ideology change? An unsustainable ceasefire, quickly collapsing into further violence, would only make it harder to build the confidence needed for peace."

Instead the UK and Germany are pushing for further humanitarian pauses to get more aid in and more hostages out.

Reuters

Lord Cameron's comments amplify Rishi Sunak's line set out at Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions.

"We have been consistent that what we support is a sustainable ceasefire, which means Hamas must stop launching rockets into Israel and release all the hostages," Mr Sunak said.

Appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said: "In order for a ceasefire to be sustainable, we have to ensure we remove the threat of Hamas from Israel...

"So, that's why we continue to support Israel in its right to self-defence, to remove the threat of Hamas, and at the same time to get those hostages back."

Asked if he thought Israel had gone too far, Mr Dowden said: "I wouldn't characterise it as Israel going too far. Israel is dealing with a very difficult situation."

He said the UK continued to urge Israel to exercise restraint but added: "If you're going after an enemy that literally hides underneath hospitals, hides amongst the civilian population, you are going to sustain high levels of civilian casualties."

The offensive into Gaza, triggered by Hamas's deadly 7 October attack on Israel which killed 1,200 people, has led to vast areas of the territory being flattened.

In a sign attitudes are shifting, in the article, the UK and German foreign ministers warned that Israel "should do more to discriminate sufficiently between terrorists and civilians".

They also said more aid must reach Gaza, amid warnings from the United Nations of a humanitarian catastrophe due to widespread shortages of basic supplies.

Israel's main ally the US has also expressed unease over the failure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration to reduce civilian casualties.

Deflecting that pressure on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu said: "Military pressure is necessary both for the return of the hostages and for victory. Without military pressure... we have nothing."

Related Topics

• David Cameron
• Israel-Gaza war
• Germany
• Gaza

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2023-12-17 13:08:08Z
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Gaynor Lord latest news: Husband 'totally lost' as results of post-mortem released - The Independent

Gaynor Lord search: Police say 30 people have come forward with information

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The heartbroken family have told friends of their pain as specialist divers found a body in the hunt for missing Norwich mother Gaynor Lord.

After a week of searching, Norfolk Police confirmed that the as-yet unidentified body was pulled from the River Wensum by underwater search teams on Friday morning. Police have said there is no evidence of third party involvement.

A post-mortem examination of a body found in the search for missing woman Gaynor Lord has found “no indications of any third-party involvement”, Norfolk Police said.

A family friend told The Times: “Gaynor’s husband Clive is totally lost.

“He doesn’t understand at all what’s happened.”

Gaynor’s daughter Charlotte, 24, also shared police appeals several times on social media. Her latest tragic update is confirming a body was found.

Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley, Norfolk’s county policing commander, said: “The post-mortem examination has found no signs that any other parties were involved.

“Although our searches have concluded, officers are continuing to work to establish the full circumstances surrounding Gaynor’s disappearance.

“We will pursue all lines of inquiry to understand why she went missing.”

1702801397

Gaynor Lord: Unanswered questions over mystery of mother who went missing

Was Ms Lord behaving out of character?

Leaving work was early was unusual for Ms Lord, friends and family have told the police. The force added they “can’t explain” some of the missing woman’s behaviour in the CCTV footage.

One witness saw the 55-year-old ‘practicing yoga’ in the park around the time she went missing.

Rosie Richards said she saw a woman fitting the Ms Lord’s description in the park last Friday.

“She was sort of putting her coat down on the floor and sort of performing a yoga pose. It just seemed a bit off at this time because obviously it was starting to get dark,” Ms Richards added.

Detectives searching for Ms Lord say they have not been able to establish Ms Lord’s state of mind when she went missing with “any degree of confidence”.

Her friend Julie Butcher said she seemed “fine” when they last met on Tuesday last week.

“We were talking. She was a bit busy but we were talking about Christmas and she seemed fine, no different to the usual Gaynor. She was quite upbeat and happy,” Ms Butcher told the BBC.

Maira Butt17 December 2023 08:23

1702796400

No third-party involvement in death of woman found in river

Detectives investigating the disappearance of mother-of-three Gaynor Lord have said there is no evidence a third party was involved in the death of a woman whose body was found in a river during the search.

The 55-year-old vanished after leaving work in Norwich city centre early at 2.45pm on December 8.

Full report:

Matt Mathers17 December 2023 07:00

1702792800

Death not suspicious - Norfolk Police

A Home Office post-mortem examination took place on Saturday morning following the discovery of a body on Friday in the search for missing woman, Gaynor Lord.

The post-mortem examination has found no indications of any third-party involvement. The death is not being treated as suspicious.

Ms Lord’s family has been informed and continue to be supported by specialist officers. Formal identification is due to take place tomorrow.

Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley, Norfolk’s County Policing Commander, said: “The post-mortem examination has found no signs that any other parties were involved.

“Although our searches have concluded, officers are continuing to work to establish the full circumstances surrounding Gaynor’s disappearance. We will pursue all lines of enquiry to understand why she went missing.

“Our thoughts remain with Gaynor’s family at this incredibly difficult time.”

Wensum Park was closed throughout the investigation but has now reopened.

Matt Mathers17 December 2023 06:00

1702782000

Full timeline of Lord’s last known movements

Timeline of Gaynor’s last known movements

Norfolk Police have confirmed the timeline of Gaynor’s movements in the city centre:

2.44pm – Gaynor is working at the Bullards Gin counter in the basement at Jarrold department store – her clothing is clearly visible

2.45-2.46pm – She leaves the store via the loading bay on Bedford Street

2.47pm – Walks onto London Street past the Cosy Club

2.48pm – Gaynor makes her way onto Queens Street and walks toward the Cathedral

2.50pm – Gaynor walks into the cathedral grounds

2.57pm – Gaynor walks along Riverside Walk

3.12pm – Gaynor is seen walking back on Riverside Walk, on to Cotman Fields and crosses Bishopgate

3.13pm – Gaynor continues to talk on Riverside Road towards the cathedral

3.22pm – Gaynor is seen on The Close at the cathedral entrance – shortly before exiting through the archway she puts her coat on

3.23pm – She is seen to walk away from the cathedral on Queens Street – here you can see a clear image of the coat she was wearing

3.49pm – This is the last sighting of Gaynor on CCTV near the Playhouse on St George’s Street

3.53pm – Walks along St Crispins Road towards Pitt Street

4.01pm – Gaynor walks up St Augustines Street

4.03pm – Walks on to Baker Street

4.07pm – The final sighting of Gaynor is on Green Hills Road/St Martins Road junction

Matt Mathers17 December 2023 03:00

1702774800

Mapped: Lord’s last known movements

Matt Mathers17 December 2023 01:00

1702767604

Divers searched Norwich river in hunt for missing mother

Specialist divers scoured the River Wensum on Thursday, 14 December, as the search for Gaynor Lord entered its sixth day.

A white tent was pitched by the water where the 55-year-old’s coat was found by a member of the public on Friday evening (8 December).

The mother-of-three’s belongings, including clothing, two rings, a mobile phone and glasses, were found scattered in the park.

CCTV of Ms Lord’s last-known movements before she went missing in Norwich showed the 55-year-old walking on St Augustines Street at 4.01pm, which was the most recent sighting of her.

Gaynor Lord: Divers search Norwich river in hunt for missing mother

Specialist divers scoured the River Wensum on Thursday, 14 December, as the search for Gaynor Lord entered its sixth day. A white tent was pitched by the water where the 55-year-old’s coat was found by a member of the public on Friday evening (8 December). The mother-of-three's belongings, including clothing, two rings, a mobile phone and glasses, were found scattered in the park. CCTV of Ms Lord's last-known movements before she went missing in Norwich showed the 55-year-old walking on St Augustines Street at 4.01pm, which was the most recent sighting of her.

Matt Mathers16 December 2023 23:00

1702764004

Norfolk reached out to Nicola Bulley police for advice

The police who searched for Gaynor Lord reached out to the force involved in the hunt for Nicola Bulley for

Lancashire Police confirmed colleagues in Norfolk had been in contact as they tried to find Gaynor Lord, who vanished in similar circumstances.

Full report:

Matt Mathers16 December 2023 22:00

1702760404

Where was Lord last seen? CCTV shows missing mother’s last known moments

Police have released CCTV showing the 55-year-old walking to and from the cathedral on Queens Street before continuing to walk along St George’s Street at 3.49pm.

She then walks along St Crispins Road towards Pitt Street and up St Augustines Street at 4.01pm, which was the last sighting of her on CCTV.

“We are particularly keen on hearing from anyone who may have seen Gaynor in the cathedral grounds,” Norwich policing commander Superintendent Wes Hornigold said.

Watch the footage here:

Gaynor Lord: CCTV shows missing mother’s last known moments

Footage shows Gaynor Lord’s last-known movements before she went missing in Norwich on Friday, 8 December. Police have released CCTV showing the 55-year-old walking to and from the cathedral on Queens Street before continuing to walk along St George’s Street at 3.49pm. She then walks along St Crispins Road towards Pitt Street and up St Augustines Street at 4.01pm, which was the last sighting of her on CCTV. “We are particularly keen on hearing from anyone who may have seen Gaynor in the cathedral grounds,” Norwich policing commander Superintendent Wes Hornigold said.

Matt Mathers16 December 2023 21:00

1702756804

‘I said could I call her back and she said “yes”'

A friend of missing Norwich woman Gaynor Lord has detailed the last phone call she received from her on the day she was last seen, Lucy Neeson reports.

Ms Lord, a mother of three, was reported missing in Norwich last Friday (8 December) after failing to return home from work.

Julie Butcher received a call from Ms Lord at 2.15pm that day but had to cut it short to speak to a client.

Speaking to Sky News on Thursday (14 December), Ms Butcher said: “I said could I call her back and she said ‘yes’.”

She later called Ms Lord but could not get through to her.

Ms Butcher said: “I wish I had never answered that call.”

Listen to the clip here:

Gaynor Lord: Friend of missing mother details last call

A friend of missing Norwich woman Gaynor Lord has detailed the last phone call she received from her on the day she was last seen. Ms Lord, a mother of three, was reported missing in Norwich last Friday (8 December) after failing to return home from work. Julie Butcher received a call from Ms Lord at 2.15pm that day but had to cut it short to speak to a client. Speaking to Sky News on Thursday (14 December), Ms Butcher said: “I said could I call her back and she said ‘yes’.” She later called Ms Lord but could not get through to her. Ms Butcher said: “I wish I had never answered that call.”

Matt Mathers16 December 2023 20:00

1702753204

Recap: where was Gaynor Lord found?

Specialist divers pulled a body from a river on Friday morning following a week-long search for missing mother-of-three Gaynor Lord.

Athena Stavrou reports:

Matt Mathers16 December 2023 19:00

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2023-12-17 08:14:26Z
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UK teen Alex Batty arrives home after going missing on holiday in 2017 - Al Jazeera English

Teen told investigators he spent six years living a nomadic lifestyle in Spain, Morocco and France.

A British teenager who went missing for six years before turning up in France has arrived back in the United Kingdom, police have said.

Alex Batty never returned home after travelling to Spain in 2017 with his mother and grandfather for what was supposed to be a two-week family holiday.

The then 11-year-old boy’s disappearance sparked unsuccessful appeals for information about his whereabouts – until he turned up last week walking along a road late at night in southern France.

“It gives me great pleasure to say Alex has now made his safe return back to the UK after six years,” Matt Boyle of Greater Manchester Police told reporters on Saturday.

Boyle said police are yet to fully establish the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and whether a criminal investigation is warranted.

Boyle said that officers, who are seeking to locate his mother Melanie Batty, would speak to the teen “at a pace that feels comfortable to him”.

Batty, now 17, will return to his maternal grandmother, Susan Caruana, whom a British court entrusted with his custody before he vanished.

Caruana requested that the family be granted space to process the news.

“I cannot begin to express my relief and happiness that Alex has been found safe and well,” she said in a statement issued through British police.

“The main thing is that he’s safe, after what would be an overwhelming experience for anyone, not least a child.”

Batty told French officials he spent the past six years living a nomadic lifestyle with his mother and grandfather in Spain, Morocco and France as part of a “spiritual community”.

He said the family grew their own food, meditated and contemplated esoteric subjects such as reincarnation.

A doctor who examined Batty said the teen was healthy and did not appear to have suffered any abuse.

French prosecutor Antoine Leroy told reporters on Friday that Batty had decided to leave his family after his mother said she wished to move to Finland, where she is “likely” to be now.

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2023-12-17 06:35:06Z
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What to do about Sunak’s silly plan to curb social media for under-16s? Highlight and delete - The Guardian

Rishi Sunak’s government says a lot and does very little. And the mooted plans to consult on a crackdown on social media access for teenagers in the new year is likely another example of that. We are told to expect a consultation in January that could limit access to social media for under-16s, up to and including outright bans on access to sites like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.

Keen to be seen to be tough on issues that vex the electorate, Sunak can suggest a proposal and appear noble – without ever having to follow through on it.

But let’s take the government’s announcement at face value, and assume that it really is considering raising the age limit at which children can access social networks from 13 to 16. The backdrop is the government’s increasingly tough talk on big tech companies, and the rules through which the UK is trying to rein in the tech sector’s power. That’s exemplified through the Online Safety Act, a Frankenstein’s monster of legislation that sounds good until you scratch beneath the surface. The act received royal assent in October, and includes within its provisions a requirement that platforms “enforce age limits and use age-checking measures on platforms where content harmful to children is published”.

One thing the government couldn’t get into the Online Safety Act, despite trying, was an outright ban on the use of encryption in messaging platforms and social networks. Encryption is where the contents of messages are scrambled to prevent snooping by governments or individuals. It gives politicians significant cause for concern – especially given that the government is on a drive to defend children’s safety online in the face of vociferous campaigns.

Yet the government has continued to press the idea that encryption is only used by criminals and paedophiles, rather than by, for instance, political dissidents, the displaced fleeing persecution, or victims of abuse who seek contact with the outside world. Reporting of the planned crackdown comes after the government lambasted companies like Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, for going ahead with plans to introduce encryption across its messaging services. On Times Radio this week, Damian Hinds, the UK’s schools minister, said that the encryption debate was not about privacy, but the “ability to intercept and to ultimately investigate, bring to justice people who are engaging in child abuse”.

Linking encryption so closely to the protection of children suggests the plans to raise the minimum age at which users can access social networks is a response to companies’ defiance over encrypted messages. It seems as if the government is playing hardball with tech firms, aiming to look strong with the electorate.

But the idea that groomers can do whatever they want thanks to the shroud of encryption is false. On Instagram, Meta removed more than 107,000 pieces of content to prevent child endangerment between April and September this year. Other platforms do the same, and at similar levels.

Equally misguided is the idea that it’s possible to impose a blanket ban on 14- and 15-year-olds accessing social media. It’s as if those in charge of the legislation have never met a child, never mind had any. (Collectively, cabinet ministers have at least 43 children.)

Believing that it’s possible to prevent young people accessing social networks seems delusional at best, given that there are plenty of them under 13 who are already using the sites. It’s something that Michelle Donelan (the parent of one) knows about, because three months ago she became angry with social media platforms for not keeping under-13s off their apps and websites. It’s not exactly hard to subvert age checks. We have already had a generation shaped by the internet and social media, and they did not all become victims of trafficking and abuse, nor have they been shaped into broken, browbeaten husks of humanity.

Quite apart from the fact that the broadside against teenagers appears to be little more than an attempt to attract the interest of the Daily Mail, it also ignores just how important and integral social media – and interactions online with peers – are for users now.

It can be easy to fixate on the negatives, which undoubtedly exist. Fourteen-year-old Molly Russell took her life in 2017 after viewing content related to depression, self-harm and suicide on social media. Her story, and others like hers, cannot be ignored. Yet the Molly Rose Foundation – set up in her memory – has reservations about a ban, saying: “The emphasis should firmly be on strengthening the regulator’s hand to ensure platforms are no longer awash with a set of avoidable dangers.”

And there are positives to being on social media. Today’s 14- and 15-year-olds had to navigate the transition from primary to secondary school during enforced lockdowns due to the pandemic. For them, social media was the only place they could interact for months. It provides them with important social skills, the ability to explore their identity and an opportunity to learn about the world.

To take that from them risks pushing teenagers further into the online shadows, a paradoxical result, given the government’s fixation on the supposed evils of encryption, or means that they’ll opt out altogether, and enter the online world at 16 more naive and prey to the same evil forces – but without any of the protection gained from experience.

• Chris Stokel-Walker is the author of How AI Ate the World, to be published in May 2024

• Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

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2023-12-16 10:59:00Z
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