Another Labour U-turn? Starmer opens door to social media ban for U16s

Keir Starmer was forced into another climbdown last night as he paved the way for an Australia- style ban on children using social media.

In order to see off another backbench rebellion, the Government will consult on restricting access for under-16s.

It comes just weeks after the Prime Minister said he opposed such a move. Other options on the table include night-time curfews, limits on app time, and restricting addictive features such as 'infinite scrolling'.

Sir Keir was forced into Labour's 14th major U-turn since taking power ahead of a Lords vote tomorrow on bringing in a ban.

Should it pass, Sir Keir faces the prospect of a major rebellion when it returns to the Commons after more than 60 Labour MPs publicly called for Britain to follow Australia, which last month became the first country to ban social media for young people.

It comes just over a week after Business Secretary Peter Kyle – one of the Prime Minister's closest allies – said he did not support an outright ban because it is 'not the right way to go'.

Last month the PM said he was not personally in favour of a ban, arguing it was 'more about how you control the content that children can see' rather than 'a blanket ban'.

The Government said it will respond to the consultation in the summer, buying itself time to quell any immediate rebellion.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has heaped pressure on the PM by vowing to bring in a ban if the Conservatives return to power. Last night she blasted Sir Keir for announcing yet another consultation rather than acting to protect young people from social media now.

'This announcement perfectly sums up the impotency of Keir Starmer. It's not even a real U-turn, it's yet another consultation,' she said.

'The Prime Minister is trying to copy an announcement that the Conservatives made a week ago, and still not getting it right. The harm social media is doing to children is undeniable, and the Conservatives would get children off these adult platforms altogether.

'This is yet more dither and delay from Starmer and a Labour Party that have entirely run out of ideas.'

The Government will consult on 'determining the right minimum age for children to access social media, including exploring a ban for children under a certain age'.

Recent YouGov polling found 74 per cent of Britons support a social media ban for under-16s – while just 19 per cent opposed it – suggesting that any public consultation could force the Government to adopt a ban.

And 61 Labour MPs last weekend wrote to the Prime Minister calling for 'urgent action' to raise the minimum age for social media platforms to 16.

Yesterday Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, joined voices calling for a ban as she wrote to Sir Keir urging him to take a 'vital step in better protecting children online'.

'I speak not only as Brianna's mother, but alongside many other bereaved parents who have lost their children to harms that began or were amplified online,' she wrote alongside ten other grieving families. 

A ban has also been supported by Baroness Cass, who led the review into NHS treatment of gender-questioning children. She warned that the 'longer we wait, the more children we fail'.

Other measures announced include Ofsted inspectors checking mobile phone bans in schools are being enforced.

Concerns remain, however, among some in government that the Australian ban has not been as straightforward as anticipated.

Teens have proved adept at circumventing it, while officials and child safety advocates are concerned about the unintended consequences of an outright ban, including fears that it could push children onto the dark web.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: 'We are determined to ensure technology enriches children's lives, not harms them – and to give every child the childhood they deserve.'

Q&A 

Why is the UK looking to ban social media for under-16s?

More than 60 Labour MPs publicly called on Sir Keir Starmer to ban social media for under-16s because not enough had been done 'to protect young people from unregulated, addictive social media platforms'. 

Why has Keir Starmer decided to make a U-turn on the ban?

Sir Keir Starmer was initially opposed to an Australia-style ban on under-16s using social media. His U-turn is a last-ditch attempt to prevent a looming backbench rebellion. 

He acted ahead of a Lords vote on an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill tomorrow that would ban under-16s from social media. If it passes he would have faced the prospect of a major backbench rebellion when it returns to the Commons after more than 60 Labour MPs publicly called for Britain to follow Australia.

What are Australia's social media rules for under-16s?

Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitch, Kick, X, YouTube and Reddit are banned, with fines of almost $50million for failing to take action in removing under-16s from their platforms. 

Who is in favour of the ban in the UK?

The 61 Labour MPs include Vicky Foxcroft, the former whip who helped lead the rebellion that forced the Government to shelve its proposed welfare cuts last year.

Meanwhile, Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, joined voices calling for a ban as she wrote to Sir Keir urging him to take a 'vital step in better protecting children online'.

A ban has also been supported by Baroness Hilary Cass, a paediatrician who led the review into NHS treatment of children with gender dysphoria, who said warned that the 'longer we wait, the more children we fail'.

The amendment is also supported by Baroness Benjamin the Liberal Democrat peer and former children's TV presenter.

Conservative former education minister Lord Nash.

The Labour peer Baroness Berger and an independent member of the House of Lords, who is a paediatrician, Baroness Cass.

Who is against it?

Several children's charities have spoken out against a blanket social media ban. This includes the NSPCC, Childnet and and a suicide prevention charity called the Molly Rose foundation.

They were among 42 individuals and bodies who said the ban would be the 'wrong solution'.

In a joint statement they wrote: 'It would create a false sense of safety that would see children - but also the threats to them - migrate to other areas online,' they wrote in a joint statement.

'Though well-intentioned, blanket bans on social media would fail to deliver the improvement in children's safety and wellbeing that they so urgently need.'

What would happen if it went ahead and when would it come into action?

The Government will consult on 'determining the right minimum age for children to access social media, including exploring a ban for children under a certain age'. It plans to respond on the consultation in the summer.

The consultation will also look at other options, including restricting night-time use through curfews, limits on app time, and restricting addictive design features such as 'infinite scrolling'.