Keir Starmer is expected to announce a ban on social media for under 16s this morning as part of a seismic package of online safety measures to protect youngsters.
The PM will pledge to take on the tech giants and “call time on a system that’s failing kids”. Mr Starmer on Sunday night said: “People rightly expect action, and this government will always stand up for parents and put children first.”
The PM will unveil his plans at a press conference from just after 8am in Downing Street. It is unconfirmed which social media companies will face a ban but the UK is expected to follow Australia in curbing access to major platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X YouTube, Reddit and Snapchat are expected to be included.
The plans will go further than Australia, where a ban came into force in December. The UK is expected to extend certain measures to AI chatbots and gaming platforms, as well as introduce restrictions on social media use for 16- and 17-year-olds to curb late-night scrolling.
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New UpdatesToday07:15 BST
The proposed social media ban has not landed well with social media safety advocates, including the Molly Rose Foundation, whose chief executive Andy Burrows has dubbed it “unenforcable”.
He said: “The Prime Minister has chosen to gamble on an unenforceable social media ban that will quickly unravel. When that happens parents and children will ask why he chose not to follow the evidence but take the politically expedient option instead. A social media ban will fail to tackle fundamental product safety risks issues and leaves parents with a false sense of safety.
“A majority of children will continue to use high risk sites that will have no incentive to implement robust protections. This is not what online safety experts believe will work and is necessary. Keir Starmer has chosen to abdicate responsibility for tackling harmful algorithms and his legacy will be setting back children’s safety by years.”
Liam DoyleToday07:01 BST
Keir Starmer will hold a press conference in Downing Street at just after 8am this morning.
The PM is expected to unveil a landmark package of social media reforms, including a ban for under 16s. It comes after mounting pressure after Australia enforced a ban in December.
The widely-debated measures follow a three-month online safety consultation which closed on May 26 and saw 116,000 responses from parents, industry and young people themselves.
Nine in 10 parents who responded to the consultation demanded Australia-style age limits. More than six in 10 (62%) young people said restricting risky features – such as the ability to send explicit images, livestreaming would make them feel safer. But 72% also said they were worried about feeling left out if restrictions came in.