LONDON — Peers in the House of Lords will vote on Monday on a government amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill that could delay action on children's access to social media for up to three years. Ministers tabled the amendment to allow the government to wait before introducing new restrictions.

A competing amendment from John Nash, a former Conservative schools minister, would require the government to raise the minimum age for children accessing social media platforms to 16 within 12 months. Peers have already backed Nash's proposal three times, most recently by a margin of 126 votes, but the government used its Commons majority to block it.

The prorogation of parliament is expected in the next week. If the bill does not complete its passage before prorogation, the government risks losing it entirely.

Nash accused the government of saying one thing and legislating for another by introducing an amendment that contradicted assurances that action would come quickly. "It is hard to see the government's position as anything other than deliberate deception," Nash said. "They say they want action in months, not years. But they table amendments which propose waiting three years."

Ellen Roome, a bereaved mother who has campaigned for tighter restrictions, said: "It is beyond belief that the government now wants up to three years before it will act on social media. And worse still, their 'action' could mean as little as parental controls."

The government is expected to argue that it needs more time to consider evidence due to the challenges of enforcing rules on global tech platforms. Last week, singer Cheryl Tweedy publicly backed a ban on social media platforms for under-16s, saying the platforms were "addictive" and "emotionally destroying." Tech executives denied their platforms were addictive to children.