‘Like tobacco’: Wes Streeting calls for partial social media ban for under-16s | Social media ban
Wes Streeting has called for under-16s to be banned from certain platforms, while arguing that social media companies should be treated like the tobacco industry.
Speaking publicly about the possibility of a ban for the first time since leaving government, the former health minister said it was needed because big tech companies were trying to evade regulations.
His intervention comes as the government prepares to close consultation on age limits for social media platforms, with ministers expected to make a final decision within weeks.
Streeting said: “Social media should be treated like tobacco; it’s highly addictive, bad for our health and big tech is borrowing the big tobacco playbook to avoid regulations. We need to give our children their childhood back.”
“The under-16 ban should be the beginning, not the end. We gave the pen to the technology giants to write our future for us. Now it’s time to take the pen back.”
Streeting, who left the government earlier this month in protest at Keir Starmer’s leadership of the country and the Labor Party, was known within the cabinet as one of the strongest advocates of the ban.
But he faced resistance from some colleagues over concerns about whether this would force children to access the dark web or leave them ill-equipped to use the technology by the time they turn 16.
Ministers have been consulting for the past 12 weeks on whether to follow Australia’s example of imposing a strict age limit on access.
Other measures could include imposing age restrictions on certain app features such as live streaming, location sharing and infinite scrolling, where feeds automatically reload and the page never ends.
Personalized algorithms that stream custom content for users may also be stopped, and mandatory screen curfews are also being considered.
The consultation also asks whether age restrictions, restrictions on certain features and time limits would be appropriate for certain chatbots.
Consultations will end on Tuesday and ministers will promise a response this summer.
A government spokesman said: “Everyone, especially children and young people, should be able to have a positive and safe experience online.
“That’s why we’re consulting on a wide range of measures, from restricting social media access to potential enforcement curfews, to make sure we get the balance right and protect young people from harm.”
Various groups are calling on the government to take stricter measures as it prepares to make a decision.
A group of grieving parents who say social media played a role in their children’s death will meet the prime minister on Tuesday to clarify their views.
These will include those who support the ban, such as Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, as well as those who do not support such a move, such as Molly Russell’s father, Ian Russell.
Meanwhile, a coalition of children’s organisations, including the NSPCC, Girlguiding and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), has called for a targeted ban on advertising, profiling and manipulative design features, saying age limits alone will not be enough.
In a joint statement shared with the Guardian, they said that “raising the age of digital consent will not solve these deeper structural problems”.
But they want a complete ban on personalized services for those under 13, including social media, artificial intelligence chatbots and some gaming systems.
Social media poses “real harms and real dangers” to children, the RCPCH has said, after a survey of 60 paediatricians found widespread concerns about the effects of social media.
The survey found that 49 percent of doctors said their biggest concern about social media was self-harm and suicidal tendencies, while 45 percent cited bullying and peer conflict and 39 percent cited mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
