The Prime Minister deserves credit for finally standing up to tech tycoons and announcing a social media ban for under-16s. On the face of it, this is the right move.

Social media companies have had long enough to get their houses in order but they have shown little appetite for tackling the issues that have blighted the lives of young people as a result of their platforms. Some have even gone as far as to monetise the misery of young people.

The fact that children’s charity the NSPCC described the ban as “a win for children and parents and all of us who have campaigned for better child protection online, shows the Government has made the right call.

Bereaved mother Ellen Roome said she and other parents shed a tear when Starmer announced the social media ban. These are the voices that matter the most.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks with families involved in the consultation process for online restrictions. PIC: Carlos Jasso/PA Wire

placeholder image — Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks with families involved in the consultation process for online restrictions. PIC: Carlos Jasso/PA Wire

However, the Government needs to be careful, as a ban on its own won’t necessarily fix all of the ills that social media heaped on young people.

England’s Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said while the ban is “positive”, the debate must be reset “from banning children to banning the companies who fail to show that their services protect children’s safety and wellbeing”. And the Molly Rose Foundation, set up in memory of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life in 2017 after viewing harmful content online, said a social media ban “leaves parents with a false sense of safety”.

There is a danger that young people could be pushed into the dark corners of the web where they are at even greater risk. And there are questions as to how the ban will be implemented.

So while the ban is to be welcomed, the Government is urged to view online safety as a working policy.