Data (Use and Access) Bill Report Stage: New Clause 1

Parliament voted down a Liberal Democrat proposal to raise the age at which children can consent to social media platforms processing their personal data, from 13 to 16. The division took place on 7 May 2025 during the Report Stage of the Data (Use and Access) Bill, with the amendment defeated by 295 votes to 76 (Division 187). The amendment, New Clause 1, would have written into UK GDPR a requirement that social networking services obtain parental consent before processing the personal data of under-16s for purposes including targeted advertising and algorithmically curated content recommendations. In practical terms, it would have obliged platforms to treat teenagers under 16 as children requiring parental authorisation for the data processing that drives personalised feeds and commercial advertising, rather than treating 13 as the threshold for self-consent as current law allows. The Liberal Democrats voted almost unanimously in favour, joined by the SNP, Plaid Cymru, most independents who voted, two Reform UK MPs, both Green MPs, and one Democratic Unionist and one SDLP member. Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs voted against in their entirety, providing the 295 no votes. The Conservatives had no votes recorded in this division; the shadow minister indicated they preferred their own New Clause 19, which would have required a government review of implementation barriers before raising the age, rather than legislating the change directly. The vote sits within a broader and continuing legislative debate over the Bill, which went on to see several further contested divisions in the Lords amendment ping-pong process during May and June 2025.