Rose Arnold

Children's rights campaigner, co-ordinator of No to Schools Bill campaign, collaborating on a new project for change.

[Dermot Devlin he/him @castleDD]

If a social media ban for under-16s is introduced, ministers must consider the impact on disabled young people.

For many, social media is not just entertainment. It's a lifeline for friendship, support, information and connection that can reduce isolation and improve wellbeing.

[Labour Digital Rights Network @LabDRN]

If Keir Starmer wants this social media ban to be his legacy, it will be a legacy of mass surveillance and digital exclusion.

Reports that the Prime Minister is rushing to announce a blanket ban on social media for under-16s ahead of the Makerfield by-election show a government abandoning evidence-based policymaking for easy headlines.

What kind of legacy condemns young people to digital exclusion while forcing digital ID checks on the entire adult population just to participate in modern public life?

The government is trying to point to Australia as a success story, but the evidence proves the exact opposite:

Research commissioned by the @mollyroseorg reveals that over 60% of teens in Australia are still actively using their social media accounts. Worse still, 51% say the ban has made no difference to their online safety, and 14% actually feel less safe. Prohibition doesn't work.

Most chillingly, this ban cannot be enforced without fundamentally altering everyone's relationship with the internet. Tech companies have already warned that implementing a ban on under-16s is incredibly difficult without robust digital identification.

Starmer's legacy threatens to be the death of online anonymity. We cannot accept a policy that destroys the digital rights of the entire population to secure a short-term political win, all while letting unaccountable tech monopolies completely off the hook for their toxic attention-monopolising algorithms.

Read more ⤵️
https://t.co/aSJ5jDUGoV

[Roger Gall @Shambles151]

On 12th June -10am–5pm.

After never having been charged with - & never having been found guilty of terrorism - Pro-Palestine activists will be sentenced for terrorism.

A first in UK history.

Please RT this until this travesty of justice is ended.
Thank you.

[michelle maher @mmaher70]

2016 UN found the treatment of disabled people UK was, a 'Human catastrophe' and followed, "grave and systematic violations"
UK only country in the world investigated
2022, ONS and EHRC warns that many disabled people face discrimination “continues to worsen” in light of cost-of-living pressures.
No journalist says this when they attack disabled people repeatedly
#r4today #GMB #disabilitysupport #Labour

https://t.co/cE0d147DwX
https://t.co/swSRHdGack

[Dr Jay Watts @Shrink_at_Large]

I would like to see more trauma therapists campaigning about bad housing and precarious housing cos that shit is one of the biggest triggers out there.

[Danny Shaw @DannyShawNews]

NEW. The woman who was strangled, beaten and raped by Paul Quinn in Salford in 2003 is a "hero", said Mr Justice Bright.

His remarks at the start of the sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court must be read. I don't think I've read anything like them before from a judge in a Crown Court:

[General Practice @BMA_GP]

Your medical record is one of the most sensitive things about you, yet the Govt wants to change how it’s controlled.

That could mean less oversight from your GP and more access for others. We believe it should stay confidential, protected, and in the hands of those you trust.

[The BMA @TheBMA]

The NHS has some of the most valuable health data in the world. But with the increasing use of AI, are we at risk of losing control of it?
https://t.co/hViTIfmYw6

[General Practice @BMA_GP]

Practices in England are being asked to take part in a further action, alongside ongoing action on data sharing agreements.

This month’s action asks practices to remove or ignore non-contractual medicines optimisation software, which may fall outside of the remit of the ICB.

[Zack Polanski @ZackPolanski]

When you see the relentless attacks from other parties on the Greens across the media remember this:

They hate our plan to end Rip Off Britain.

They don't want a wealth tax.

They don't want public ownership & lower bills.

They're trying everything in their power to stop us.

[WinVisible (women with disabilities) @WinVisibleWomen]

We 100% oppose the #PIP Review terms that "the #PIP assessment *will* become the single gateway for health-related & disability benefits" -- so deny at least half a million people #UniversalCredit LCWRA health. And will end "Substantial risk to health" protection for claimants!

[Jeremy Corbyn @jeremycorbyn]

I have referred Sky News and GMB to Ofcom over disgraceful and baseless smears that have been made about me.

There is nothing antisemitic about supporting the people of Palestine.

I will continue to speak out against racism, apartheid and genocide.

https://t.co/WKhqYfe7xm

[Taylor Lorenz @TaylorLorenz]

The Online Safety Act is just the latest in a troubling global trend towards a more censored internet. https://t.co/h4eHZN4IpM

[Cenk Uygur @cenkuygur]

I’ve been banned from the UK. I tried to get on a flight to London to attend SXSW London and give a speech at Oxford. I’ve been banned for criticizing Israel. Are we free anymore? This is oppression of Western citizens by our own governments on behalf of a different country!

[Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People @GMCDP]

Pls share (and also come along!) @MCRDisabilityCo @Amnestydisabili @firstmcr @embracewandl @BeyondEmpowerUK @greatermcr @BUKCommunity @DisRightsUK @InclusionLondon

[ICARS (Int. Coal. Against Restraint and Seclusion) @ICARSBanRandS]

Over the coming weeks, ICARS will begin releasing selected evidence from the Department for Education’s 2019 consultation, “Restraint in mainstream settings and alternative provision.”

The consultation ran from 27 June to 17 October 2019.

This evidence is now part of the material being sent to the United Nations.

The Department asked for views on whether guidance was needed for mainstream schools, mainstream post-16 settings and alternative provision.

Years later, the consultation outcome still has not been published.

The responses matter because they show that families, advocates, professionals and organisations were already warning the Department about restraint, seclusion, isolation and other restrictive practices in schools.

Nearly seven years on, the question is simple:

What was the DfE told?

And why has the Department still not reported publicly on what was said in this consultation?

[Double Down News @DoubleDownNews]

“I want to kill someone today & it might be you"

"They wrenched my trousers & underwear down & I was raped by one of the soldiers"

"Other people had guns inserted inside them"

"My daughter was syringed with an unknown substance"

Juliet Lamont's Gaza Flotilla testimony:

[UN Human Rights @UNHumanRights]

Enhancing the protection of children online is an urgent priority that needs to be done right. Governments and tech companies must make digital platforms safer by design, strengthen data protection, and ensure accountability for those responsible for harm.

➡️ @UNHumanRights has issued a set of guidelines aimed at improving children’s safety online and protecting their rights: https://t.co/bEev0QHrcw

[Agnes Callamard @AgnesCallamard]

This research by Queen Mary University of London should be a wake up call for the UK government and judicial institutions:

286 political prisoners in Britain, held in relation to their activism for Palestinian rights or against fossil fuel.

Prison sentences for acts of direct action or civil disobedience (which were once rare) are now being imposed with increasing length and frequency.

In Great Britain.

https://t.co/zirb1lfTGb

[Labour Digital Rights Network @LabDRN]

It is incredibly frustrating to hear Angela Rayner treat state-mandated digital exclusion as an "easy fix" and low-hanging political fruit.

The implications of a blanket ban are far from simple. Enforcing these restrictions will fundamentally alter how all of us interact with the digital world, inevitably ending the right to online anonymity.

On top of this, the evidence from Australia is already clear: prohibition is failing. Polling shows that over 60% of teens still have active accounts, with 70% of those users reporting it was "easy" to circumvent the rules using VPNs or entering fake birthdays.

With Keir Starmer currently facing intense political pressure over the future of his leadership, we cannot risk this draconian and unworkable policy being fast-tracked simply to appease backbenchers or secure a quick political "legacy".

We urge all potential Labour leadership candidates to clearly outline their positions on digital rights. We need an evidence-led approach that forces unaccountable Big Tech monopolies to fix their toxic, profit-driven algorithms, not a blind imitation of Australia’s failed experiment.

Read more ⤵️
https://t.co/anzJHZRAZg