Thomas Skinner found himself at the centre of a heated confrontation with Fiona Bruce during Thursday’s edition of BBC Question Time, as the pair sparred over social media’s impact on young people.
The former Apprentice contestant and Strictly Come Dancing participant, 35, joined the panel in Clacton-on-Sea alongside Justice Minister Jake Richards, Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat and Liberal Democrat Layla Moran.
When discussion turned to the addictive nature of platforms like TikTok and Instagram, Ms Bruce challenged Mr Skinner directly over his earnings from social media promotion.
“You are benefiting from social media, you make part of your living that way,” the host told him. “In the nicest possible way, you are part of the problem.”
Tom Skinner appeared on the latest BBC Question Time
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BBC
Ms Bruce pressed further: “How can you on the one hand say ‘people shouldn’t be doing it so much’ but, on the other hand, you are benefiting from it?”
Mr Skinner, who boasts 536,000 followers on TikTok and regularly posts videos from his favourite café, conceded that excessive phone use was harmful.
“It’s bad when people sit on their phone all day. I’ve seen it myself,” he said.
“I’ve done it myself, I sometimes know I’ve got to be up in four hours and I’ve sat there and I’ve scrolled my brains through, watching absolute nonsense.”
The entrepreneur maintained his own content was harmless, describing his typical posts as greeting viewers with “Good morning you lovely people” while showing his breakfast at Deano’s Cafe in New Spitalfields Market.
He argued parents should take responsibility for limiting children’s screen time, suggesting they set boundaries such as allowing an hour of access in the evening.
The debate came in the wake of a landmark legal ruling this week, which saw Meta and Google held liable for a woman’s addiction to their platforms and ordered to pay £2.2 million in damages.
The case involved a 20-year-old plaintiff who claimed the tech giants had hooked her on their services from childhood.
Tom Skinner was labelled ‘part of the problem’ during the debate
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BBC
Fellow panellists came to Mr Skinner’s defence during the exchange, with one arguing his videos did not fuel the most damaging aspects of social media algorithms.
Layla Moran intervened to distinguish between different types of content, stating: “The ones that are are the ones promoting hate, that are purposefully putting people against each other, people are posting things that are not true and purposefully there to incite other people.”
Mr Skinner later disclosed he received £2,000 for his Question Time appearance, responding to critics who questioned his place on the panel.
“I’m not there representing any party,” he said. “I’m there because it pays £2,000 and I like watching Question Time.”
Fiona Bruce’s remarks prompted debate online
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BBC
The businessman revealed he had been invited to appear on the programme nine or 10 times over the past four to five years before finally accepting.
Viewer reaction proved divided, with some dismissing his contribution as lacking substance. One social media user wrote that Skinner was “completely out of his depth” and “offering nothing of any merit.”
Another penned: “The most I learned from Skinner is that he makes money on social media & gets p****d on Fridays.”
Someone else described the reality star as a “rabbit in headlights.”
“Who invited Tom Skinner on #Questiontime?” a different viewer asked.
However, others took a different view, with one commenter arguing: “Tom Skinner will talk more sense than any political sheep on #BBCQT #Questiontime
“He speaks for you more than any politician right now,” one more agreed. (sic)