Keir Starmer has told senior figures from Meta, TikTok, Google, Snapchat's owner and X that "things can't go on like this" during a Downing Street meeting on internet safety. The Prime Minister summoned the tech bosses on Thursday morning as the Government considers new restrictions, including an Australia-style ban on social media for under-16s.
Ministers are consulting on introducing a firm age limit for social media use, alongside potential curbs on features such as infinite scrolling. Starmer told executives: "In a world in which children are protected, even if that means access is restricted, that is preferable to a world where harm is the price of participation." He added that he was determined to build a better future for children and that the question was not whether change would happen, but how.
Starmer has previously voiced scepticism about an outright ban, warning it could push young people onto the dark web and leave them ill-equipped to use technology responsibly once they turn 16. However, pressure has mounted from his own backbenchers, with more than 60 Labour MPs recently signing a letter calling for a ban. Many in Government now expect Starmer to back a ban once the consultation concludes this summer.
On Wednesday, MPs rejected a House of Lords amendment to the children's wellbeing and schools bill that would have imposed a default ban and given ministers 12 months to decide which platforms to bar. The amendment, tabled by Conservative peer John Nash, has now been rejected twice in the Commons. Early education minister Olivia Bailey defended the Government's approach, saying the consultation allows ministers to address a wider range of services and features and that it was crucial not to pre-empt its outcome.
The Government has also stepped up pressure on Ofcom, which is implementing the Online Safety Act. Last year, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall warned the regulator that it risked losing public trust if it failed to use its powers against online harms. This month, Kendall appointed Ian Cheshire, a former Channel 4 chair, as the new Ofcom chair.
Google declined to comment on the No 10 meeting, while Meta, TikTok, Snap and X were approached for comment.
