The Liberal Democrats have announced that they are calling on the Government to increase the tax for social media firms due to the worsening mental health problems in children. According to the Party, the digital services levy should be tripled from 2% to 6% and extra revenue should be given to every school in the country to hire dedicated mental health professionals.
The Liberal Democrats believe that a dedicated mental health professional is now a necessity in schools as cyberbullying and harmful content online continue to be a cause for concern. In a 2021 survey by Parentkind, these two areas were high among the causes of concern for parents worried about their children’s psychological well-being.
Additionally, NHS data paints a dark picture relating to mental health issues and children in the UK. In 2022, more than one in six children aged between 7-16 had a probable mental health disorder, figures which have risen from one in nine in 2017. With the situation worsening, the Lib Dems believe the time is now to intervene.
The Party’s education spokesperson, Munira Wilson, said: “Young people are facing a mental health emergency, and we need to act now to tackle it. Both the pandemic and the rise of social media have done enormous damage to children’s mental health.
“Conservative Ministers have completely failed to grasp the scale of this crisis. They have neglected young people and let them down again and again.”
Support for Adults
While children’s mental health is at the top of the agenda, the Liberal Democrats are also keen to support adults who are struggling with mental health too. At the Party’s Autumn conference, leaders outlined their plans should the party come out on top in the upcoming general election and health featured heavily.
One significant policy would be to introduce mental health “MOT checks” for men in their 40s, women who have recently given birth and people who have retired. Deputy leader, Daisy Cooper said:
“Under this Conservative Government, mental health has dropped off the political radar. Yet we know the nation’s deteriorating mental health is one of the biggest challenges we face.”
“I’m determined that we will win the battle of ideas on how we transform the nation’s physical and mental health, empowering people to live long and healthy lives, and to save our NHS.”
These MOT checks would work alongside the current regular checks that occur where people aged between 40 and 74 receive regular physical check-ups on the NHS. The Lib Dems believe that these appointments should also incorporate a focus on mental health so that problems can be detected early.
Further manifesto announcements
The Liberal Democrat conference, which started on Saturday and will continue until Tuesday, has seen further announcements from the party in relation to their general election manifesto. Various policies have already been voted through, including a commitment to keep the pension triple lock. This means that the state pension would increase in line with whichever is higher out of wages, inflation or 2.5% should the Liberal Democrats win the election.
So far, neither the Conservatives nor Labour have pledged to support the mechanism after the next election, largely due to the debate around whether it’s fair to protect pensions with the triple lock while workers struggle with inflation and the cost of living crisis.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, however, has confirmed to his commitment to it saying that he would back it “under any circumstances.” He added:
“The Liberal Democrats first came up with the triple lock. The Tories weren’t keen on it but we introduced it and we think it has been very successful. The Conservatives broke the link between pensions and earnings back in 1980. For 30 years, British pensioners fell behind the rest of Europe and we became bottom of the league for the state pension.
“Countries that are much less wealthy than us were paying their pensioners, and still are paying their pensioners more, so the triple lock from the Liberal Democrats was designed to try to begin to rectify that.”
Final thought
The Liberal Democrats’ proposals to increase taxes on social media firms to fund mental health support in schools and introduce MOT checks for adults is a bold move to address the growing concern about mental health issues in the UK.
While the party’s commitment to prioritising mental health is commendable, it remains to be seen whether the proposed measures will be effective in tackling the complex issue. Ultimately, a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of mental health problems, such as social media’s impact on young people, is crucial.