The father of a 14-year-old who took her own life after viewing harmful content online has accused the prime minister of “playing politics” and “gambling with young people’s lives” as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to announce a crackdown on children’s access to social media tomorrow morning.
Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly died in 2017, told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that the process had been “rushed” for a “political reason” – a charge he called “deplorable”. The announcement, expected to include restrictions similar to Australia’s ban on under-16s, comes less than three weeks after the end of a consultation that drew more than 110,000 responses, including tens of thousands from parents.
“Ian Russell calls PM's rush to ban under-16s from social media 'deplorable' and accuses him of playing politics.”
“In opposition, Keir Starmer promised to tighten up the online safety world by regulating better,” Russell said. “Early last year, father to father, I met with him briefly and he was very concerned – and he promised me he would look into effective solutions to deal with this problem. But as we sit here on the verge of this announcement, it seems that he’s not kept either of those promises.”
Russell also revealed that the prime minister had “promised a group of bereaved parents” an announcement could be expected by the summer recess, which falls in mid-July, “so he’s rushed that forward for some reason”. He added: “I can’t think of a reason other than a political reason… if he’s playing politics, what he’s doing is gambling with young people’s lives – and I find that deplorable.”
Russell’s own research, conducted through his suicide prevention charity the Molly Rose Foundation, found that 47% of girls saw high-risk harmful content on social media in a week. He has previously argued that the government should enforce existing laws more robustly rather than impose bans.
A Downing Street spokesperson pushed back, saying: “We have undertaken a thorough consultation and will set out next steps in due course. The prime minister has been clear that the status quo is not good enough and we need to do more to protect children. This is not about politics – it is about protecting children.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also distanced herself from Russell’s criticism, telling the BBC she would “respectfully disagree with some of what he said”. She added: “There is no one solution to this and there has to be a basket of measures. There is an urgency to this because young people need help now and we cannot stand aside and not act when we see that very clearly. The tech companies have had more than enough time to get their own house in order… if they’re not prepared to do it, they lose the right, frankly, to market their products towards children.”
A poll by the Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank shows the public is split: 44% back a ban, while 39% prefer tighter regulation. Among parents with a child under 16, support for a ban rises to 54%, compared with 36% who favour regulation. Those arguing in favour include Esther Ghey, whose transgender teenage daughter Brianna was killed.
Russell remains unconvinced. “Sledgehammer techniques like bans,” he said, “would only cause more problems.”