More than 60 Labour MPs have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer urging him to support a ban on social media for under-16s, as peers prepare to vote on the issue this week. The letter, organised by Fred Thomas, MP for Plymouth Moor View, includes signatories from across the party spectrum, including committee chairs and former frontbenchers.
The MPs argue that children are suffering from anxiety, unhappiness, and an inability to focus on learning, and that the UK should follow Australia's example in introducing a ban. They call for the onus to be placed on technology platforms, not parents, to enforce age limits, and urge the government to show leadership by introducing a minimum age of 16 for social media access.
Starmer has indicated he is open to a ban in principle but wants to wait for evidence from Australia, where a ban came into force in December. Government figures have expressed concerns that a ban could push children to less regulated parts of the internet, a view echoed by Ian Russell, father of Molly Russell, who opposed what he called 'sledgehammer-like techniques'.
The issue will come to a head this week when the House of Lords votes on an amendment to the children, wellbeing and schools bill, proposed by Conservative peer John Nash, which would enact a ban within a year of the bill's passage. Labour has not yet confirmed how it will vote, but several peers are expected to support the amendment regardless of party whips.
