Starmer vows to act on social media after meeting bereaved parents

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised to take "decisive" action to address the impact of social media on children in the United Kingdom, as the government's public consultation on the issue draws to a close.

Speaking to families and campaigners who contend that their children died as a result of social media use, Sir Keir stated, "it is important that we act and will act." Prior to the meeting on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said he was clear that government action must be a "game-changer" amid growing calls to ban social media for users under the age of 16.

However, some parents remain skeptical about whether the government will implement sufficiently strong measures. Speaking to the BBC outside 10 Downing Street, Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died in 2022, expressed doubt. "Am I confident? Definitely not," Roome said, adding, "I think we've heard it so many times before" and noting that she remains "sceptical" until actual change occurs. Roome was among those urging the Prime Minister to raise the age of access to 16 for social media platforms deemed harmful.

Mariano Janin, whose 14-year-old daughter Mia took her own life in 2021 after being bullied at school and online, also attended the Downing Street meeting. Janin told the BBC he would "like to believe" Sir Keir will take action, but noted that the "same status quo" currently remains while technology firms continue to roll out products, including artificial intelligence chatbots, at a rapid pace.

Members of the group described the meeting as a "listening exercise" for the Prime Minister. "We do not want this group to grow any further," one parent told reporters, adding, "We want all our asks to be adhered to." Another parent stated that they "wanted no more children to die as a result of online harm."

The meeting occurred as former Health Secretary Wes Streeting joined calls to ban under-16s from social media. Streeting, who recently resigned from the cabinet, accused regulators and politicians of being "asleep at the wheel." He compared the tactics of technology companies to those of the tobacco industry, asserting that they design addictive platforms that pose significant harms to children.

"The precautionary principle should apply here," Streeting told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, adding that the UK is "behind the curve" and must act quickly. Streeting stated he felt "liberated" to speak freely on the matter since leaving his government post, and expressed trust in Technology Secretary Liz Kendall "to act quickly following the closure of the consultation today."

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall stated that the government plans to introduce new measures for under-16s by the end of 2026, with a formal response to the consultation scheduled for publication in the summer. "The question isn't whether we're going to act - we will," Kendall told the BBC. She added that she would proceed with legislation despite potential opposition from major technology companies, stating, "No one's going to stop me from doing what I think is right for this country."

The government's public consultation closed on Tuesday evening after receiving more than 80,000 submissions from charities, campaign groups, and members of the public. Government data obtained by the Press Association indicated that 42,410 parents and 13,890 young people completed the survey. Respondents were asked for their opinions on potential restrictions, such as app curfews, disabling autoplay and infinite scroll features, and implementing an outright ban on social media apps for under-16s, similar to policies enacted in Australia.

Campaigners remain divided on the potential effectiveness of a total ban. Ian Russell, chair of the online safety charity the Molly Rose Foundation, argued that the government should focus on enforcing existing laws rather than introducing "sledgehammer techniques like bans," pointing to reports of children in Australia successfully bypassing age restrictions.

In an open letter, child safety charities urged the government to require technology companies to align with the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). BBFC Chief Executive David Austin told the BBC, "Hundreds of millions of websites are already classified to our standards and filtered by the mobile network operators. Why can't social media companies do the same in terms of their content? The answer is they can."

Alternative regulatory approaches have also been proposed. Police leaders and Donya Soni-Clark, associate director of the trade association TechUK, suggested "regulating by features, not by platform." This approach would involve banning companies from offering high-risk features, such as private messaging, to users under the age of 16.

Additionally, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges submitted a response recommending that doctors routinely question young patients about their device and social media use. Academy Chair Jeanette Dickson compared the challenge of social media to historical public health efforts regarding smoking and seatbelts, calling the issue a "unifying force" for the profession. While there is no consensus within the scientific community that overall screen time is harmful, the Academy cited examples of physical and mental health issues arising from children viewing extreme online violence.

Lord Nash, a former Conservative education minister, stated that the government has previously committed to parliament that it would introduce age or functionality limits on social media for children. He stated that the government must "deliver on that commitment fully and in the shortest possible timeframe."

It remains unclear which technology platforms submitted responses to the government consultation. However, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has stated it supports age verification handled at the device level to prevent underage users from downloading specific applications.