Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for tough measures to protect children on social media, saying that ‘all options are on the table’ and that much more needs to be done to prevent harm from online platforms.
Speaking at a press conference in Downing Street on 19 January, Starmer emphasised the seriousness of the problem: ‘We must better protect children from social media and excessive screen time. Yes, we need to do more, and that is why we are considering a wide range of measures — we are not ruling out any options.’
The reason for the strong statement was the recent global scandal involving the AI chatbot Grok, which generated unauthorised sexual images of minors. The Prime Minister directly linked this to the need to strengthen control over platforms.
Starmer highlighted the experience of Australia, where a ban on social media use by children under 16 has been in place since December 2025. ‘We are closely monitoring what is happening in Australia,’ he said. ‘I have already discussed this issue with the Australian Prime Minister. It’s not just about the age of 16 — we need to look at the whole package of measures, including restrictions for children under 5 and overall screen time.’
Pressure on the government is mounting. More than 60 Labour Party MPs have sent Starmer an open letter demanding that he introduce a ban based on the Australian model. They accuse previous governments of inaction and claim that children are becoming anxious, losing social skills and suffering from addiction.
This week, the House of Lords is set to vote on a cross-party amendment to the Children and Schools Bill that would effectively force the government to introduce a ban within a year of the bill becoming law. It is estimated that up to 70% of Labour MPs are prepared to support tough restrictions.
The government has already launched consultations on possible measures, ranging from strict age verification to a ‘curfew’ for apps and restrictions on usage time. At the same time, the idea of making schools ‘phone-free’ by default is being discussed.