Cole-Hamilton to call for trebling of tax on social media firms to fund mental health

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton will use his speech to the party’s autumn conference in Edinburgh on Saturday 4th November to call for the Digital Services Tax on social media giants to be trebled with the money put to use boosting mental health services for young people.

The conference is set to feature debates on council tax, removing dangerous concrete from public buildings, the future of the economy and energy, as well as an in-conversation event with Nazanin Zaghari Radcliffe.

Mr Cole-Hamilton will say:

“Conference, half of parents say their child has experienced mental ill health. It is a national crisis.

“I have met countless families trying to get their child seen.

“I’m really worried about how much social media is a part of this.

“As a political leader I’ve seen my fair share of its dark side, of online abuse.

“But for young people it can feel like there is no escape.

“97% of them are now on social media, and for big chunks of the day.

“It’s shattering their mental health. It can impact their sense of self-worth and cause them to hate their own appearance.

“When they are telling us it is doing them harm, and they are, we should listen.

“Clamping down on harmful content is essential.

“But we need to look deeper at the damage the social media giants have wrought, at the shattered pieces of childhood that lie in the margins of their profits.

“It’s time for them to pay.

“The Digital Services Tax is paid by the largest social media sites.

“This should be the vehicle to exact proper recompense for the harm they are doing.

“Liberal Democrats would treble that tax to raise £1.5 billion next year alone.

“That could unlock up to £150 million for the Scottish Budget in Barnett consequentials.

“That could help boost mental health support in schools, get more professionals close to where you live, and guarantee that whenever a young person needs help it will come fast.

“This is an opportunity to build world-class mental health services for Scotland.

“Conference, this could save lives.”