The Prime Minister has said ‘all options’ are open for a possible Australia-style social media ban for young people.
Technology has been giving Sir Keir Starmer headaches recently – whether that’s his battle against X’s Grok AI chatbot’s sexualised images or concerns about children using social media.
He has now signalled a change of heart to a possible social media ban restricting its use to only those 16 or over, which came into effect in Australia last month – the first-ever such law in the world.
The PM had previously appeared hesitant about following the Aussie model after warnings that it could push teenagers to unscrupulous platforms.
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However, Sir Keir said that ‘all options are on the table.’
He said during a trip to Scotland yesterday: ‘We need to better protect children from social media.
‘We’re looking at what’s happening in Australia, but all options are on the table in relation to what further protections we can put in place, whether that’s under-16s on social media, all options on the table.
‘Or an issue I’m very concerned about, which is under-fives and screen time. And we’re the first Government to take action in relation to that, because children are turning up at school aged four to reception, having spent far too much time on screen.
‘So, across the board, we will take further action to protect children.’
Campaigners for the ban have ramped up the pressure in recent days.
Smartphone Free Childhood asked people to contact their local MP about the issue with a template calling for ‘reasonable, age appropriate boundaries.’
Over 100,000 people have since emailed their MPs, the group’s co-founder and director, Joe Ryrie, said, with some emails reportedly receiving more than 1,000 emails from constituents.
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, has compared young children’s unrestricted smart phone use to ‘nursery or primary school child being given a box of nails and left unattended with it.’
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today show, Streeting acknowledged the connections social media can help to foster, but said children are at risk of ‘really sinister, extreme stuff.’
Meanwhile in Australia, the ban had hardly started when teens had already outsmarted it as they found ways around the age verification tools.
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