Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley interviewed Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday's This Morning (June 15) following his announcement of a social media ban for children under 16. Starmer confirmed the ban will take effect from Spring 2027, covering platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X.
During the interview, Shephard noted that Starmer had previously opposed such a ban and questioned what changed his mind. Starmer replied: "I tried to approach this with an open mind. We went through a consultation and looked at what happened in other countries. I spent time with parents who lost children, usually teenage boys and girls, because of social media. I'm absolutely clear that a ban is the right thing."
Starmer added that the ban would be a relief for parents, who want their children to be happy and safe. He also mentioned measures targeting features like live streaming and engagement with strangers online.
Shephard pressed: "You're letting the tech firms off. By dealing with the content and making them take it down, it wouldn't be there in the first place. By the time children turn 16, they can still access adult content. Why are you not putting more pressure on tech firms to remove the content?"
Starmer responded that there will be measures for 16- to 17-year-olds, particularly around live streaming and stranger engagement. Shephard also raised concerns about VPNs allowing under-16s to bypass the ban. Starmer said: "We looked at that when dealing with pornography for under-18s. There was a short spike in VPN use, but it dropped off."
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV.
