U.K.’s Starmer Faces Bipartisan Backlash Over Plan To Ban Social Media for Teens Under 16

Keir Starmer is facing criticism over his proposed social media ban for teenagers under 16, with commentators on the left and right accusing the U.K. prime minister of acting with ulterior motives. In a post on Substack on Monday, Mr. Starmer said that the government is implementing the ban, expected to take effect in 2027, due to social issues impacting children as a result of the technology. “It is making it easier for bullies — whether at their own school or simply trolling them from thousands of miles away — to harass and abuse them. It is exposing them to content that is dangerous or divisive. It may even be harming their mental health,” Mr. Starmer wrote in a post on Substack“Can we really say that it is always safe for them? I don’t think so. I think every parent can see, with their own eyes, that the reverse is true: social media is making them unhappy,” the prime minister said. The newly announced ban, he said, is “an example of us taking control of the future and shaping the forces for the benefit of Britain.”A variety of arguments have emerged in objection to the move. Billionaire Elon Musk, who owns the X platform, wrote called the “a police state.”A conservative commentator, Isabel Brown, said in a video posted on X, “Spoiler alert: NONE of this has anything to do with ‘protecting the kids.’ If it did, the UK government would be taking serious steps to end grooming gangs, stop mass migration, and end violent crime… or at the very least, include Bluesky on the social media ban.“But they aren’t. This is about the entrenched political elite and their crippling fear that young people overwhelmingly are rejecting our parents’ politics,” she added. A left-wing commentator, Taylor Lorenz, claimed the policy was aimed at ensuring young people are not informed when they went to cast their ballots. “Studies in AUS found that since the social media ban went into effect teenagers are significantly less educated on news and events and more ignorant on what’s going on in the world,” she wrote, referencing a similar ban in Australia. “This is the goal. Western govts saw the rise of the information age and are seeking to quash it,” Ms. Lorenz said.A liberal journalist, Glenn Greenwald, also argued that the “real goal” of laws limiting young people’s access to social media is “online surveillance, an end to anonymity, and control over political content that young people can access.”Conservatives in the U.K. appeared divided over the ban. The leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, said the ban was “fantastic news” and an “important step in helping parents protect childhood for children.” However, the leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, argued that while the restriction is “well-intentioned” it is “unlikely to work given the mass adoption of VPNs.” He also raised concerns that it would lead to “the introduction of Digital ID via the back door.”British officials have not released a full list of the platforms that will be impacted by the ban, but have said that it will cover YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X, and TikTok. The ban will also apply to livestreaming services to prevent strangers from contacting children. AI “romantic companion” chatbots will also be required to have a minimum age requirement of 18. Mr. Starmer said the government is also considering an overnight curfew for infinite scroll for users under 18. To enforce the ban, the government will require social media platforms to use age verification systems such as facial age estimation, digital ID checks, or third-party verification services. Social media users claimed that the ban would exempt the left-wing alternative to X, Bluesky. It was not on the list of platforms that would be impacted by the ban. However, British officials note that the list of companies that would be affected is not complete. Bluesky may have been left off the list because it has struggled to reach the same level of popularity as the platforms that were listed. In October, a digital market intelligence company, Similarweb, reported that Bluesky had seen a 40 percent drop in daily active users over the previous 12 months. Last year the platform rolled out an age verification requirement, having users prove that they are 18 and over. Without verification, they are not able to see “adult-appropriate content” or use the direct messaging feature — something major social media platforms have not done. Last year, Australia became the first country to implement a social media ban on youths, citing concerns about its impact on teenagers’ mental health, cyberbullying, and addiction. Several countries are exploring the idea of adopting similar restrictions. A bill to ban social media for teenagers under 16 was introduced last week in Canada’s parliament. France, Denmark, Greece, India, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden are also considering similar bans. Germany and Italy passed laws that require teenagers under 16 to have their parents’ consent to use social media. Several American states have also implemented bans on teenagers under 16 using social media. However, judges in Virginia and Arkansas have blocked the bans in those states, finding that they infringe on the free speech rights of children, parents, and social media companies. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram, Meta, criticized the prime minister’s announcement, saying in a statement that concerns raised in Australia are not effectively being addressed by a blanket ban. “As we’ve seen in Australia, bans risk isolating teens from online communities and information, and driving them to unregulated alternatives that lack built-in protections and parental controls.”However, a British television personality, Kirstie Allsop, said Meta is taking too long to address the issues. She said an outright ban on social media for kids under 16 may let “big tech” off the hook. “But it does two things 1. The message is sent Social Media damages kids 2. We haven’t got time to wait for Meta et al to grow a social conscience,” she posted on X.An Ipsos poll released in January found that 72 percent of adults in the United Kingdom support a ban on social media for teenagers under 16. Mr. Starmer told reporters during a press conference that he believes the government has the authority to implement some of the restrictions without legislation. He said he expects the Parliament to pass legislation before Christmas to enact the full ban. Mr. Starmer told reporters he plans to discuss the social media ban with President Trump this week at the G-7 summit.

U.K.’s Starmer Faces Bipartisan Backlash Over Plan To Ban Social Media for Teens Under 16

U.K.’s Starmer Faces Bipartisan Backlash Over Plan To Ban Social Media for Teens Under 16

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