Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to announce a crackdown on children’s access to social media within days, a speech planned for next week as the prime minister also heads to the annual G7 summit in France and faces a by-election in Makerfield on Thursday.
Government ministers have examined a range of options in recent weeks, including a blanket ban on under-16s accessing social media, similar to the one introduced in Australia, as well as discussions about exempting elements deemed less harmful. Starmer was previously resistant to such restrictions, but under pressure from the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and dozens of Labour MPs, the government launched a public consultation on a ban in March. When that consultation closed last month, the prime minister vowed to take “decisive” measures that he said would be a “game-changer”.
“Keir Starmer will announce social media restrictions for children next week, but a charity warns a rushed ban could unravel.”
But the Molly Rose Foundation (MRF), the child safety charity founded by the family of Molly Russell – a teenager who took her own life after viewing harmful content on Instagram and Pinterest – has warned that a rushed ban could quickly unravel. Andy Burrows, the MRF’s chief executive, said a ban that was hurried would “quickly unravel” and was not supported by evidence. “Parents have been clear they want decisive action that will actually work,” he said. “If Keir Starmer prioritises short-term announcements over what the evidence and experts say is needed, children and parents will be left to count the cost and child protection will take a step back.”
MRF argues that an age limit would fail to make children safer because they would circumvent age checks and could move to less regulated areas such as gaming. The charity instead says the government should set strict safety standards for apps. It is not yet known which apps would be classified as harmful under any UK ban, but in Australia the blanket prohibition covers Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and Snapchat, among others.
The government is also consulting on other safety matters, including whether there should be age restrictions on features such as infinite scrolling and limitations on the use of AI chatbots. MRF has additionally proposed restricting algorithms that personalise content for teenagers.