Wes Streeting, the former health secretary, has called for a partial ban on social media for under-16s, likening the platforms to tobacco. Speaking ahead of the government's consultation on age limits closing, Streeting argued that big tech is using tactics similar to the tobacco industry to avoid regulation.
Streeting, who resigned from the cabinet earlier this month, said: 'Social media should be treated like tobacco – it’s extremely addictive, bad for our health, and big tech is borrowing the big tobacco playbook to avoid regulation. We’ve got to give our children their childhood back.' He added that a ban 'must be the start, not the end'.
The government's 12-week consultation on whether to follow Australia's strict age limit for social media access closes on Tuesday. Ministers are expected to respond this summer. Options under consideration include age limits on features like livestreaming, location sharing, and infinite scrolling, as well as curbs on personalised algorithms and mandatory screen curfews.
Streeting's intervention comes as a report from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges warns that social media and smartphone use 'ranks alongside smoking and wearing seatbelts in cars as a unifying force for the medical profession'. The report, submitted to the consultation, found that half of 454 surveyed doctors treated a child at least once a week whose mental distress or physical harm was linked to online content.
A coalition of children's organisations, including the NSPCC and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, has said age limits alone are insufficient, calling instead for a targeted ban on advertising, profiling, and manipulative design features. Bereaved parents, including Esther Ghey and Ian Russell, are meeting the prime minister on Tuesday to discuss the issue.
A government spokesperson said: 'Everyone – especially children and young people – should be able to have a positive, safe experience online. That’s why we are consulting on a wide range of measures... to ensure we get the balance right and protect young people from harm.'
