Starmer tells social media companies ‘things will change’ on addictive features

Saying that addictive social media features should not be allowed, the Prime Minister warned that the next generation will not forgive the Government if it does not take action.

In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, Sir Keir Starmer signaled his Government was preparing to take action to block functions that keep young people glued to social media.

This could spell the end of features like infinite scrolling or “streaks” that reward daily use of an app.

Arguing that such features “should not be allowed”, Sir Keir said: “These platforms are trying to get kids to stay longer, to get them hooked. I can’t see that there is a reason for that and so I can see that we need to take action.”

The government has faced calls for a complete ban on social media use by under-16s and is currently consulting on such a proposal, along with other restrictions.

The Prime Minister said in his interview that he had an “open mind” about the ban, but it was clear that things would change.

He said: “We will have consultations but I think I will be absolutely clear that things will not stay that way.

“This will change. I don’t think the next generation will forgive us if we don’t act now.”

His comments come just days after a landmark trial in the United States in which a jury found Meta and Google liable for a woman’s childhood social media addiction.

In a potentially precedent-setting verdict, a jury in California recommended the 20-year-old plaintiff be awarded six million dollars (£4.4 million) in damages.

Both Meta and Google plan to appeal, but the Prime Minister said the decision could be “a turning point” that would lead to “much stricter content restriction”.

A Government source said: “Nothing is possible when it comes to protecting children online.

“We have shown that we are ready to act. The Prime Minister sided with the vulnerable against Grok and won this fight.

“We still have a way to go, but we won’t let parents face this battle alone, we stand with them.”

Sir Keir sent a similar message during a visit to a school in south-east London on Friday, telling parents he was ready to go to war with tech companies over children’s screen time and social media use.

He told parents: “They want more children to spend more time on the internet and we have to fight them and make it clear whose side we are on here.”