LONDON – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced sweeping plans to ban social media access for children under the age of 16, arguing that platforms are contributing to rising levels of addiction, anxiety and disrupted childhood development.
In a hard-hitting statement, Starmer said the decision follows extensive consultation with parents who overwhelmingly raised concerns about children’s excessive screen time and exposure to social media algorithms.
“Thousands of parents say their children are addicted to social media,” Starmer said, warning that it can leave young people “trapped in a cycle of endless scrolling.”
He added that the impacts are increasingly visible in daily family life, saying social media use can “displace play, sleep, and time with the family,” and may also “harm their mental health.”
We are banning social media access for under 16s.
These days kids must find their feet in a world where technology intrudes into every area of their life.
I just can’t let that go on anymore. So we’re giving children their childhoods back. pic.twitter.com/jn7iQrcwk8
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 15, 2026
Framing the move as both a personal and political responsibility, the Prime Minister said: “All I’ve ever wanted, hand on heart, is for them to be safe and for them to be happy.”
Starmer contrasted today’s digital environment with earlier generations, saying children now are growing up in a rapidly shifting technological world that “intrudes into every area of their lives.”
The proposed ban marks one of the most significant interventions yet by the UK government into the regulation of social media platforms, and is expected to face legal and political pushback from major tech companies.
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