Tories would ban under-16s from social media, says Badenoch – UK politics live | Politics
Conservatives say they will ban social media for under-16s if they come to power
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. The Conservatives have announced they will ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms if they are in government, amid growing concerns about young people’s mental health, their ability to concentrate and their easy access to harmful content online.
Conservative party leader Kemi BadenochHe also argued that if the Conservative Party came to power, phones would be banned in schools and that this move would help protect children’s mental health and education.
The party, which is heavily trailing in the polls, wants social media companies, including the hugely popular TikTok and Snapchat, to use age verification checks to prevent under-16s from using their sites.
It comes as the NASUWT teachers’ union called on the government to ban social media for under-16s in a bid to improve concentration at school and prevent damage to mental health.
The world’s first social media ban on children under 16 came into force in Australia last month. Those under the age of 16 cannot use major social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, their existing profiles are disabled and they cannot create new accounts.
Following Australia’s ban, several countries are considering social media bans for under-15s, including Denmark, Norway, whose government hopes to impose a ban in 2026, and France, which is reportedly planning to ban children’s social media platforms from the start of the 2026 academic year.
The UK Labor Party did not completely oppose the idea, saying “nothing is off the table” but warned that any ban would need to be “based on solid evidence”.
Kemi Badenoch will be quizzed on the details of the proposed under-16s social media ban when she appears on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg Sunday Politics program shortly. We’ll bring you what’s being said, so stay with us.
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Badenoch says Greenland is a ‘second order problem’ to what’s going on ‘at the moment’
Kemi Badenoch says what she is most concerned about is the existence of NATO and the US being kept “on the sidelines”. He said it was too early to talk about sending troops to resolve the conflict between alliance members.
The Conservative party leader said Greenland was “a secondary issue compared to what’s going on at the moment”, referring to protests in Iran (he said he had no problem with “dismantling a regime” that was trying to “harm” the UK)
Badenoch said:
Of course, we must ensure that we ensure the security of NATO countries and that we stand by Greenland. We stand with Denmark. But right now we are talking about soldiers as if we are going to war with the USA. I don’t want your audience to be confused about what the priority is. The priority at the moment is Britain’s national interests. What are we doing to make our country safer? To ensure that the nation is strong.
Asked what he meant by Greenland being a “second-order” issue, Badenoch added that talk of the US invading Greenland was hypothetical and that he did not want to escalate the situation.
Badenoch says he was ‘completely shocked’ by Trump’s comments on Greenland
Badenoch is asked about the following reports: The UK could respond to the US threat to seize Greenland by promising to commit some of its own troops to the largely autonomous Arctic region. The Conservative party leader is asked whether he would support such a decision.
Badenoch says he was “completely shocked” by Donald Trump’s comments on Greenland but declines to address any specifics, saying he is not dealing with hypotheticals.
The Trump administration has repeatedly said the United States should take control of Greenland, the mineral-rich and largely self-governing region of Denmark where foreign and security policy is conducted from Copenhagen. The White House said using the US military was “always an option.”
Badenoch said it was right to support NATO countries, but questioned what exactly the threat was. He said:
What I won’t do is give a blank check. What is the reason for sending soldiers to Greenland? Is this for defense? Is this to make sure we’re being more serious? NATO expenditures remained well below what they should be across countries. So it’s all about the details.
What I won’t do is have an operational conversation when I don’t have the level of security briefings and detail that the prime minister has. What I’m doing is laying out a broader strategy for what kind of country we should be.
The rules in the world are changing, the order is quite clearly being disrupted. How do we empower ourselves? What I won’t do is act like a military general and give operational details about exactly where we will send the troops. It’s not my job.
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch now speaks to Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC In his second interview of the new year with party leaders (Keir Starmer was first in line last week).
The Conservative party is infiltrating its members and elected officials into Reform UK; Polls show he has a broad coalition of voters ranging from struggling workers to disillusioned graduates to wealthy retirees.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has been praised by commentators for her recent PMQ performances but her appeal to voters still appears limited.
But Badenoch would be pleased that YouGov’s latest poll puts his party ahead of Labor for the first time since the 2024 general election. In the poll, the Conservative Party received 19 percent of the votes and the Labor Party 17 percent; both were behind Reformation England, which received 26 percent of the vote.
Social media ban for under-16s calls on UK government from top teachers’ union
Geraldine McKelvie
Geraldine McKelvie is the Guardian’s senior correspondent
One of England’s largest education unions has called on the government to ban social media for under-16s over concerns about mental health and concentration.
Teachers Union (NASUWT) wants legislation to be tightened so that big tech firms face penalties for allowing children to access their platforms.
The online security debate came to the fore again this month when it was revealed that Elon Musk’s Grok AI tool was digitally removing clothes from women and children.
A pioneering social media ban for under-16s came into force in Australia last month, but its effectiveness has yet to be determined.
NASUWT said there was growing evidence that unregulated access to social media was harmful to children, affecting behavior at school and harming mental health. It was also stated that children were harmed by exposure to violent and sexual content.
Matt Wrack, the union’s general secretary, said:
Teachers struggle every day through the effects of a social media environment that was not originally designed and inappropriate for children.. Social media companies have demonstrated this over and over again. They do not act responsibly unless they have to.
If we are serious about protecting children, protecting their mental health and tackling behavior crises in our schools then Legal ban on those under 16 years of age should be introduced urgently.
You can read the full story here:
Conservatives say they will ban social media for under-16s if they come to power
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. The Conservatives have announced they will ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms if they are in government, amid growing concerns about young people’s mental health, their ability to concentrate and their easy access to harmful content online.
Conservative party leader Kemi BadenochHe also argued that if the Conservative Party came to power, phones would be banned in schools and that this move would help protect children’s mental health and education.
The party, which is heavily trailing in the polls, wants social media companies, including the hugely popular TikTok and Snapchat, to use age verification checks to prevent under-16s from using their sites.
It comes as the NASUWT teachers’ union called on the government to ban social media for under-16s in a bid to improve concentration at school and prevent damage to mental health.
The world’s first social media ban on children under 16 came into force in Australia last month. Those under the age of 16 cannot use major social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, their existing profiles are disabled and they cannot create new accounts.
Following Australia’s ban, several countries are considering social media bans for under-15s, including Denmark, Norway, whose government hopes to impose a ban in 2026, and France, which is reportedly planning to ban children’s social media platforms from the start of the 2026 academic year.
The UK Labor Party did not completely oppose the idea, saying “nothing is off the table” but warned that any ban would need to be “based on solid evidence”.
Kemi Badenoch will be quizzed on the details of the proposed under-16 social media ban when she appears on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg Sunday Politics program shortly. We’ll bring you what’s being said, so stay with us.
