Starmer's three-month ultimatum to Apple and Google is toothless. Tech giants have every incentive to drag their feet and every reason to believe nothing will happen after years of poor enforcement, while the data shows social media has already exposed millions of children to direct harms like sextortion and cyberbullying. The threat of legislation, rather than actually enforcing changes, is yet another sign of weakness in the face of Big Tech.

Apple, Google and Meta already have robust, industry-leading child safety tools in place ranging from on-device nudity detection to hash-matching technology and zero-tolerance exploitation policies. These companies actively collaborate with NGOs, law enforcement and global partners to protect kids online. Threatening new legislation shows a lack of awareness surrounding the ongoing investment tech platforms have already made in keeping children safe.

By implementing age-dependent guardrails, Big Tech firms will necessarily have to scan all social media communications on behalf of the government, constituting an unprecedented infringement of data privacy. Meanwhile, an under-16 social media ban forces youth to consume only propaganda from the established legacy media. Under the guise of child safety, Starmer is quietly realizing an Orwellian state.