The under-16 social media ban is a bold and necessary step

15th June, 2026

I really welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement that social media will be banned for under-16s. It is a bold and necessary step forward for our country to give our kids their childhood back. With ever-growing concerns about the impact of social media and the risks of harmful online content, a ban is the right choice to get a grip on the negative aspects which have come to far outweigh the positives.

Importantly, this is something that parents, carers and teachers in my constituency have asked for. The vast majority who responded to my survey on this issue last year said they backed raising the minimum age for social media from 13 to 16. I’m sure they will join me in welcoming this positive and much-needed step to protecting our children from online harms.

Restricting social media is a great start, but it cannot stop there. From speaking to parents and carers, and from my work on the Education Select Committee, I know that there is also real concern around some of the other ‘addictive by design’ elements seen across gaming and hybrid platforms, private messaging services and AI chatbots – all platforms which we know are increasingly widely used by children.

I hope that government will continue to look carefully at what additional regulation is needed to protect children.