The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) has warned that a rushed ban on social media for under-16s in the UK could quickly fall apart, leaving families to bear the consequences. The charity, established after the death of teenager Molly Russell, said such a ban would fail to make children safer as they could easily circumvent age checks and move to less regulated platforms such as gaming.
The warning comes amid reports that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is planning to announce a ban on under-16s accessing ‘harmful’ social media apps before the Makerfield byelection on 18 June. However, the exact apps to be targeted remain unclear, with Australia’s blanket ban covering platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and Snapchat.
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said the government’s approach was not supported by evidence. ‘Parents have been clear they want decisive action that will actually work,’ he said. ‘If Keir Starmer prioritises short-term announcements over what the evidence and experts say is needed, children and parents will be left to count the cost and child protection will take a step back.’
The charity has urged the government to instead set strict safety standards for social media apps, such as curbing personalised algorithms that curate content for teenagers. Under this model, apps would only be banned if they failed to meet those requirements. This differs from the government’s proposed ‘harmful’ ban, which gives platforms no prior opportunity to clean up their act.
Crossbench peer Baroness Beeban Kidron described the reported government proposal as a ‘non-ban ban’, accusing ministers of being soft on tech companies. She pointed to the government’s recent decision to give Apple and Google a three-month deadline to install anti-nudity software on smartphones as further evidence of a lack of urgency.
Labour MP Fred Thomas, who organised a letter urging Starmer to back a social media ban, said the evidence supports bold action. But there is frustration among some Labour MPs, with one telling the press: ‘They should get on with it, to be honest. They can’t keep saying it’s coming and then backing down.’ The government has pledged to act quickly on the findings of a recent consultation on children’s online safety, which closed last week.
