- Sir Keir Starmer has officially confirmed his government will ban social media for all children under the age of 16.
- The prime minister announced the measure at a Downing Street press conference, describing it as “a big step, real change for our children and our future.”
- Starmer said the incoming ban will come into force early next year, with the government hoping to pass regulations before Christmas.
- He accepted the ban will not prevent all young people from accessing platforms, adding: “We don't say, ‘Oh, look, a teenager managed to get a drink somehow, so let's not bother banning alcohol sales to children’.”
- The announcement follows a government consultation which received over 116,000 responses, with 90 per cent of parents supporting a minimum age of 16 for social media access.
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