Children under 16 will be banned from social media, Sir Keir Starmer announces
The Prime Minister said the UK would go further than Australia, with the ban expected to come in next year.
Children under age 16 will be banned from social media in a “big moment for our country”, Sir Keir Starmer said.
The Prime Minister announced the restriction in a Downing Street press conference this morning as he warned social media was having an impact on children’s happiness and mental health.
Sir Keir said he would not compromise on the “safety and happiness of our children”.
He said he was confident the ban can be effective but acknowledged some children would find their way around it. The measure is expected to come into force by early next year.
The Government will also take “world leading” action on gaming and live streaming platforms so strangers will not be able to contact children, he said.
The restrictions will be required to be switched on by default for children up to 17. The Government is also looking at potential overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18s.
The Prime Minister said a full ban on under-16s accessing social media sites was “the right choice”.
The father-of-two said: “This is not something I do lightly, and I will not present it as cost-free, as if social media has brought no benefits to young people, because clearly that is wrong.
“But Government is always about choices, and it’s clear to me that a full ban is the right choice.
“I come to it as a parent myself. I know exactly the fears that we all feel when we’re thinking about this issue.
“All I’ve ever wanted for my own children, hand on heart, is for them to be happy and for them to be safe, and I think that’s what any parent wants, but I ask the question now: Do we truly believe that social media creates a happy environment for our children?
“Do we truly believe that it’s a place where they can feel safe? I don’t think I even need to answer those questions, do I? Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy.”
He said it was “making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse” children and “could even be harming their mental health – exposing them to content that is dangerous, because that’s what grabs the attention”.
Sir Keir said that “enforcement action will be on platform providers, not children”.
“We’re not going to start taking action against 13 and 14 and 15-year-olds who are trying, as they always will, to get around rules that adults put in their path, so this is absolutely aimed at those that are providing the platform,” he explained
The Prime Minister’s announcements were met with applause from campaigners invited into No 10 to hear his speech.
The Centre for Young Lives, founded by former children’s commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield, said this “puts the government on the right side of history”.
“This is a bad day for the tech companies who have made billions through a business model that deliberately targets, hooks and exploits children,” Haroon Chowdry, chief executive, said.
“Britain can now become world leader in transforming our children’s relationship with social media and screens, to help them get their childhood back.”
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin commented: “Big tech firms have shown they’re not up to the task of keeping children safe on their platforms.
“While we still need to see the details, I’ve been clear a social media ban is needed – tinkering at the edges won’t work.
“We welcome the move taken today. Young people have been used as guinea pigs in a vast social experiment for far too long.”
York Outer MP Luke Charters said: “As the youngest parent in Parliament, I come to this as a dad first and a politician second. I have heard from parents, teachers and families across my constituency with a raw honesty that has left me in no doubt that this is the right thing to do.
“I particularly welcome the graduated approach for 16 and 17-year-olds, which reflects how young people actually grow up rather than removing safeguards overnight at an arbitrary age.”
However, not all campaign groups and charities have backed the ban. Save The Children warned it could push youngsters into unregulated and more dangerous spaces.
“This announcement reflects legitimate concerns about children's safety online, but a ban of this scale would change how children access and experience the digital world,” Jeffrey Demarco, Senior Adviser at Save the Children UK, said.
“The UK government must ensure that any decisions are informed by children themselves and by independent experts.
"We are concerned that a blanket ban may look protective on paper, but instead pushes children into less regulated spaces, where they are less likely to seek help when something goes wrong. Children growing up in poverty are likely to be among those most affected.
“If ministers want to make the online world safer, the answer is not simply keeping children off platforms.
“The focus must be on providing better support for parents by making platforms safer by design, tackling addictive and high-risk features such as stranger contact, live streaming, nudification tools and unsafe AI systems, so that children are not exposed to harm online."
Sir Keir’s announcement came shortly before he travelled to the G7 summit in France, where he will be joined by world leaders including US president Donald Trump.
There has been resistance from the Trump administration about action against social media sites which are largely based in the US.
Sir Keir said he had spoken to Mr Trump and would discuss the issue with him again but stressed that many countries around the world were “grappling” with the issue of children’s safety online.
The move comes with Sir Keir fighting for his political future ahead of the Makerfield by-election on Thursday which could see Andy Burnham return to Westminster to launch a campaign to replace him as Prime Minister and Labour leader.