Versions :<1 2 3 4 5 6 Live

Starmer Signals Support for Teen Social Media Ban as Parents Petition

Should we ban social media for under-16s to protect them, or does the research show such bans would cause more harm than good?

Published 4 hours ago

Starmer Signals Support for Teen Social Media Ban as Parents Petition

story

Above: Teenagers look at their iPhones in Penzance, England, on Aug. 26, 2025. Image credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

The Spin

Techno-skeptic narrative

Social media platforms are destroying children's lives through violent content, gang recruitment and mental health crises, with a 15-fold rise in eating disorders among teens. Parents overwhelmingly demand action — as shown by the 100,000 letters sent to MPs in just 36 hours — because they can't fight trillion-dollar attention economies alone. Setting age limits at 16 isn't government overreach; it's the same common-sense protection applied to drinking and driving.

Netmums American Spectator

Techno-optimist narrative

Contrary to popular belief, research on thousands of adolescents recently found zero evidence that social media or gaming causes mental health problems. Bans won't reduce screen time; kids will just migrate to other platforms or darker corners of the internet while losing vital support networks that youth, especially vulnerable youth, depend on. The real solution is regulating platform design and algorithms, not stripping young people of their right to access information and develop digital literacy skills.

Brookings Oxford Academic

Taylor Lorenz on Youtube