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Technology companies have had more than enough time to make their platforms safe for children, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said ahead of an expected announcement by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on new restrictions targeting social media use by teenagers.
Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Nandy said the government believes online platforms have failed to adequately protect young users from harmful content and addictive features. She argued that companies unwilling to ensure the safety of children should lose the right to market their products to young people.
Her comments come ahead of an expected government announcement that could include banning children under the age of 16 from using some social media platforms and introducing curfews for older teenagers. The measures are part of wider efforts to improve online safety for children as concerns continue to grow over the impact of social media on young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Nandy stressed that the issue was no longer about whether children needed greater protection online but rather how that protection should be achieved. She noted that the majority of responses received during the government’s public consultation supported the idea of restricting social media access for those under 16 years of age.
While acknowledging that Australia’s recent ban on under 16s using social media has shown that some children will still find ways to bypass restrictions, Nandy argued that the policy changes social expectations among younger children. She said that children aged between 8 and 11 would no longer assume they should be on social media simply because their friends are using it, helping to reshape online culture from an early age.
She added that the government could not ignore the growing evidence linking social media use to risks faced by children and insisted that action was urgently needed. According to Nandy, technology companies have had sufficient time to improve their platforms but have failed to do enough to guarantee children’s safety.
However, the proposed measures have also attracted criticism. Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly Russell died after viewing harmful online content, expressed disappointment over reports of the planned ban. He suggested the policy may have been rushed for political reasons and warned that using the issue for political purposes would be gambling with the lives of young people.
Nandy responded that no single measure would solve the problem but maintained that restrictions on social media could play an important role alongside other safety measures. She said the government is determined to act quickly to better protect children online.
The Conservative Party has also voiced support for tighter controls despite acknowledging the challenges of regulating rapidly changing technology. Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge said keeping legislation up to date with developments in technology is difficult but agreed that restricting social media access for younger users is the right approach.
The government launched a public consultation on the issue in March, seeking views on proposals including disabling addictive features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay as well as introducing mandatory overnight curfews to help improve children’s sleep and wellbeing.
Although some organisations including the Molly Russell Foundation and the NSPCC have opposed a blanket social media ban, the government appears determined to introduce stronger protections as it seeks to hold technology companies accountable for the safety of children using their platforms.
