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Episode details

Radio 4,21 Jan 2026,57 mins

Social media ban for under 16s, Class privilege at Cambridge, Women's sports coaches

Woman's Hour

Available for over a year

Should the UK follow Australia in bringing in a social media ban for under 16s? The government has announced a consultation on the issue and peers debate the question as the former Conservative schools minister Lord Nash has tabled an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. It would require social media platforms to stop children under 16 from using their platforms within a year of the Bill passing. Nuala McGovern discusses this with Hannah Ortel from the Brianna Ghey Legacy Project, and Dr Fiona Scott, Senior Lecturer in digital literacies at the University of Sheffield. How safe are the beauty treatments many women routinely use? MPs on the Science, Technology and Innovation Committee are investigating whether UK regulation is keeping pace with the scientific evidence behind products used by millions of women, from botox to hair relaxers, the latter predominantly used by Black women. Nuala is joined by the chair of the committee, Labour MP Dame Chi Onwurah, to discuss what the inquiry hopes to uncover. Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates, x) is the acclaimed comedy show from Jade Franks. A sharp, funny take on class privilege, it follows Jade’s first term at Cambridge after swapping life in a Merseyside call centre for one of the UK’s most elite universities. After a smash-hit run at the Edinburgh Fringe, the show is now being developed for TV. Women who coach sports are twice as likely to suffer bullying and harassment as men, according to new research from the charity Women in Sport, which calls coaching in the UK a “hostile environment” for women. They spoke to 2,000 coaches about their experiences and found women are operating in a deeply unequal system, from pay and progression through to discrimination. They say many have quit, feeling unheard and undervalued. Lisa West from Women in Sport and Yasmin Clarke, a former pro tennis player and coach discuss. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Melanie Abbott

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