Keir Starmer is expected to announce a ban on children using social media on Monday, following an official government consultation that revealed nine out of ten parents support a minimum age limit of 16.
Government Consultation Results
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, when asked about a possible ban, stated: “I don’t want to get ahead of the Prime Minister’s announcement, but when we launched the consultation, it was a question of how we better protect young people online, not if we do so.” A ban would not require new laws; instead, ministers would use powers already granted in existing legislation that have been held in reserve.
Ms Nandy highlighted the experience in Australia, where strict age limits are already in place. She noted that while a ban would not be 100% effective, it would reduce the harm social media can cause to children. “One of the things that a social media ban does, and has been shown to do in Australia, is that although it does not stop all young people going online and onto social media apps, it does mean that you change the presumption at a very early age to stop the situation where kids as young as eight, nine, 10, 11 are going on to social media sites because all of their friends are on them,” she said.
She added: “So the question of more regulation is it’s a definite yes from the government law enforcement action. I don’t think banning social media on its own is the silver bullet solution. But I do think Australia has shown very clearly that it has a significant role to play.”
Parental Support for Restrictions
Nine in ten parents who responded to the Government’s “Growing Up in an Online World” consultation backed a minimum age of 16 before platforms can offer their services to children. Parents also expressed a desire for restrictions on features such as sharing explicit images. Three-quarters of respondents said families would face fewer disagreements if social media was restricted for under-16s.
Concerns about addictive designs were also raised, with more than half (52%) of respondents wanting infinite scrolling restricted.
Technology Secretary's Statement
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “I know how hard it is for parents today. Knowing what your child is seeing online, who they are talking to, and what features are being used to keep them hooked. It is an almost impossible task, and parents across the country are telling us enough is enough.”
“Eight in 10 parents from the consultation say social media does more harm than good to their children. The majority are also worried about stranger contact and explicit image sharing. We have heard them. We have the powers to act. Change is coming, and will set out our response very soon.”
Consultation Response
The Growing Up in an Online World consultation, which closed on May 26, received an unprecedented response from parents, children, campaigners, academics, and civil society organisations. More than 116,000 people across the UK had their say, including over 14,000 young people aged 10-21 and over 54,000 parents.
The Government already has the legal powers it needs to act. Parliament passed the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act earlier this year, giving ministers the ability to introduce new measures to restrict harmful features on online services without needing to pass new laws. That means change can happen fast. The full response to the consultation from the Government will set out the specific measures it intends to take and the timeline for implementation.
