Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised “decisive” action to address the impact of social media on children in the UK, following a meeting with bereaved parents and campaigners pressing for stricter online safety measures.
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Speaking after talks at Downing Street on Tuesday, Sir Keir said the government was committed to acting as a consultation on children’s social media use reached its final day. Campaigners have urged ministers to introduce tougher restrictions, including a possible ban on social media access for under-16s.
Parents who attended the meeting said they welcomed the opportunity to present their concerns directly to the prime minister, but some remained doubtful about whether the government would introduce strong enough measures.
Calls for tougher restrictions
Among those attending was Ellen Roome, whose son Jools Sweeney died aged 14 in 2022. She said she remained unconvinced that meaningful change would follow.
“I think we’ve heard it so many times before,” she told the BBC outside Number 10, adding that she would stay “sceptical” until concrete measures were introduced.
Roome and other campaigners urged the government to raise the minimum age for access to social media platforms considered harmful to 16.
Mariano Janin, whose daughter Mia died by suicide aged 14 in 2021 after experiencing bullying at school and online, also attended the meeting. He said he wanted to believe action would follow but argued that the current “status quo” remained unchanged while technology companies continued rapidly introducing new products, including AI chatbots.
Parents described the talks as a “listening exercise”, saying they had outlined their concerns in detail in an effort to prevent further harm to children online.
Government considers next steps
The government’s consultation on children’s social media use closes on Tuesday evening after receiving more than 80,000 submissions from parents, young people, charities and campaign groups.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the government would publish its response during the summer, with new protections for under-16s expected by the end of 2026.
Measures under consideration include stronger age verification checks, night-time app curfews, and limiting features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling. Officials are also examining whether restrictions should apply to platforms including Roblox Corporation’s Roblox and Discord.
Kendall said ministers wanted to ensure any new rules were effective and durable.
“We’ve got to get this right, and we’ve got to make it last,” she told the BBC.
Debate over bans and platform controls
Former health secretary Wes Streeting added pressure on the government by backing calls for a social media ban for under-16s. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Streeting said regulators and politicians had been “asleep at the wheel” while technology firms developed addictive platforms for children.
He compared the behaviour of large technology companies to the tactics once used by the tobacco industry, arguing that the “precautionary principle” should apply to social media regulation.
Others, however, warned against blanket bans. Police leaders and industry representatives have argued that regulation should focus on specific high-risk features rather than entire platforms.
Donya Soni-Clark of trade association TechUK said restrictions targeting features such as private messaging would be more effective than banning individual apps.
Meanwhile, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges called for doctors to routinely ask children about their device and social media use, citing concerns over mental and physical health impacts linked to online content.
Pressure on technology firms
Campaigners and child safety groups have also called for technology companies to align content standards with age ratings used by the British Board of Film Classification.
Some campaigners pointed to Australia’s move to restrict social media access for under-16s, although reports that children had still managed to bypass controls have raised concerns over how effective such laws can be.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has said age verification should be managed at device level so underage users are prevented from downloading apps.
Kendall insisted the government would continue with reforms even if technology companies opposed them.
“No one’s going to stop me from doing what I think is right for this country,” she said.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 27 May 2026
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