Sadiq Khan to back social media ban for under-16s after Starmer promised ‘game-changer’ action
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is set to throw his weight behind a social media ban on under-16s, declaring it is “the only way to stop the harm we now know is happening”.
His intervention came as campaigners, including bereaved parents whose children’s deaths were linked to social media, called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to impose an Australian-style ban.
The government’s consultation on children’s online experiences, which is exploring measures such as under-16 bans, app curfews and limits on addictive features, ended last week.
Sir Keir has yet to commit to a ban on under-16s, although he has promised “game-changing” action on the issue. But his Labor colleague Sir Sadiq, who had previously suggested Australia’s ban be followed, now publicly supports such a measure.
In a speech to engineers, founders and investors scheduled to be held in the capital on Tuesday, the mayor of London is expected to argue that tech firms must show their services are safe for children or face a ban on serving under-16s.
He prepares to state: “Almost every company, from food to medicine, has to prove that their products are safe before they can be sold. I see no reason why social media companies can’t do the same. Until they can prove their platforms are safe for children, the only way to prevent the harms we now know are happening is to ban.”
However, Sir Sadiq also warned that a ban alone would not solve all problems, warning: “Instead of restricting access to social media, we should redesign it.” He adds: “Londoners deserve platforms where connectivity doesn’t come at such a heavy cost, and where people are prioritized, not just profits.”
The mayor will also challenge tech companies to “explain how misogyny is spreading like wildfire on their platforms and publicly lay out how they will adjust their algorithms to stop it,” adding: “If they refuse to act, the state needs to step in.” He will insist that “the era of impunity is over” and that tech firms “must face the consequences” if they fail to protect users.
Alongside these calls, Sir Sadiq will unveil a £1 million package of measures aimed at supporting boys and young men in London.
He will brand so-called manosphere influencers as “snake oil salesmen capitalizing on young men’s greed to sell store misogyny”, warning that online misogyny risks creating a “lost generation of young men”.
It will highlight that misogynistic content can be “catastrophic for the young men who consume it” and have “terrible” consequences for women close to them.
Warning of a system “rigged” in favor of harmful online voices, he will claim such voices are not only “allowed to pump out poison” but are also rewarded for it. He will defend efforts to engage young men in discussions about “toxic masculinity” rather than risk feeling “alienated” and “seeking validation elsewhere.”
The mayor’s office confirmed the £1 million package includes support for vulnerable boys in schools and pupil referral units through the mayor’s violence reduction unit, funding for a new program for fathers and placing football mentors in communities across the capital.
