Keir Starmer stood up to tech giants on social media - but one big question looms. A ban on social media for under-16s is a policy of seismic magnitude. During the years I’ve reported on online safety, more and more parents have lost their children to the wild west of the internet.
Sophie Huskisson, Political Correspondent, reports that the PM showed he is not afraid to stand up to tech billionaires. Keir Starmer described today as a “big moment for our country”. He is right about that.
Mixed Reactions to the Ban
A social media ban, for Mr Russell, lets tech firms off the hook. They are still able to operate perilous platforms - and tech-savvy kids trying their best to circumvent a ban may still be able to access them. After all, in Australia, where a ban came into force in December, studies suggest three in five (61%) 12 to 15 year-olds still have access to one or more accounts on restricted platforms. Issues around age verification technology and virtual private networks (VPNs) that allow users to hide their location are likely to make headlines soon enough in the UK.
On the other hand, I’ve also interviewed Ellen Roome, who believes her son Jools, 14, died after a social media challenge went wrong. She is passionately in favour of a ban. We sat outside Parliament and looked over the Thames in April as she despaired that MPs had voted down peers’ attempts to introduce one. She believes a product that is known to be unsafe for children should not be allowed on the market - and never would be for other things. She described today’s announcement as “fantastic”.
Government Acknowledges Challenges
The Government has itself said that a social media ban will not be a silver bullet. Mr Starmer admitted some kids will still find ways to access platforms, as teenagers find secret ways to drink alcohol. “Teenagers drink before they should, but we do not then say, ‘in which case let us abandon any attempt to stop them buying alcohol’, we say ‘let’s improve the enforcement of what we’re doing’”, the PM said.
A ban is set to be hugely popular, with nine in 10 parents voicing support for one in the Government's three-month online safety consultation. And with the Tories in favour of introducing one, Labour found itself on the wrong side of the argument.
Starmer's Stance on Tech Giants
In January, when Mr Starmer stood up to Elon Musk, the X boss was forced into a climbdown over his AI chatbot Grok, which was nudifying images of women and children online. It showed the Government that stern action can make a difference. The PM is likely to get push back from Donald Trump over his latest announcement, with the White House already having raised concerns over a social media ban in the UK. But for a PM whose leadership is under threat from the possible return of Andy Burnham, strong action on social media is a prime area to stake his legacy on.
