Mumsnet has launched a national advertising campaign calling for a ban on social media for children under 16, featuring health warnings reminiscent of those on cigarette packets. The adverts, which appear on billboards and social media, make stark claims linking social media use to self-harm, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicidal behaviour among teenagers.
The campaign urges the public to email their MPs and demand an under-16s social media ban. Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet, said families are living with the harm caused by social media daily, describing it as a product deliberately designed to be addictive. She argued that better parenting alone cannot counteract a business model built on addiction.
The ads are part of Mumsnet's Rage Against the Screen campaign, which seeks stronger regulation of youth social media access. Research among Mumsnet users in spring 2025 found that 92% of parents are concerned about social media's effect on children's mental health, and over 60% believe their child is addicted to their phone or social media.
Sedona Jamieson, a student with experience of mental illness, welcomed the campaign, describing how she encountered harmful content on social media when seeking support for anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder at age 15. She emphasised that young people's developing brains make them especially susceptible to online content.
Last week, the prime minister promised measures to curb under-16s' access to social media in 'months, not years', though a total ban is not necessarily implied. The children's commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, cautioned that any ban must be enforced to avoid driving children to darker parts of the internet.
A government spokesperson said a swift consultation will consider everything from age limits and safer design to a social media ban, with plans to be set out in the summer. The Royal College of Psychiatrists supported the need to protect children's mental health, citing growing evidence of the damaging impact of early and unrestricted social media access.
