Overnight curfews and “doomscrolling” breaks will be considered as part of a “swift” government consultation on social media for children, Liz Kendall has announced as the government opens the door to an Australia-style ban for under-16s.
The technology secretarytold MPs that a three-month consultation into a social media ban for under-16s would start imminently amid pressure from charities, the Tories and terrorism experts to crack down on “acute and chronic online harms”.
It also follows growing concerns about the toxicity of social media following a clash between Sir Keir Starmer and X owner Elon Musk earlier this month over the platform’s Grok AI tool being used to sexualise women and children.
In a statement in the Commons, Ms Kendall said: “I can tell the House we will bring forward a swift three-month consultation on further measures to keep children safe online.
“This will include the option of banning social media for children under-16, and raising the digital age of consent to stop companies using children’s data without their or their parents’ consent.
“The consultation will include a range of other options too, such as whether there should be curfews overnight, breaks to stop excessive use or doom-scrolling, how we ensure more rigorous enforcement of existing laws around age verification and action to address concerns about the use of VPNs to get around important protections.”
If confirmed in the next three months, a ban would be the latest in a series of U-turns by Sir Keir Starmer, whose allies initially said they wanted to wait for more evidence from Australia before deciding whether to follow suit.
Ms Kendall acknowledged that a ban would carry risks but warned there were risks in not taking “robust action”.
The minister said: “Many people, including in this House, are strongly in favour of a ban on social media for under 16s as the best and clearest way forward for protecting children and stopping both acute and chronic online harms. They want action now.
“But others take a different view, saying they worry about letting online platforms off the hook, that a ban would simply push harms further underground, and above all, that it could stop children from using the positives of social media, like connecting with like-minded people, finding those who love in the same way and love the same things, and getting peer support and trusted advice.
“There are clearly risks in all these different approaches, which is why I believe a proper consultation and promoting a national conversation, especially with the public, is the right and responsible way forward.
“But I want to make one thing crystal clear – the question is not whether the government will take further action. We will act robustly.”
Education watchdog Ofsted will be asked to look at how schools are adopting new government guidance on screen time, Liz Kendall has said.
The Technology Secretary told the Commons: “I can confirm that we will also be developing evidence-based screen time guidance for parents of children aged five to 16.
“And while we have already been clear that mobile phones have no place in our schools, the Government will take further action as part of our determination to safeguard children and support their wellbeing.
“Today, we have published updated guidance on the use of mobile phones in schools and we’ve asked Ofsted to include this in its inspections because we want there to be no doubt in the minds of school staff, parents and young people that phones should not be used in schools.”
Ministers will visit Australia as part of the consultation, where a social media ban for under-16s came into force in December.
The government will seek views from parents and young people and will respond in the summer, Ms Kendall said.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who has been campaigning for a ban, accused Sir Keir of another U-turn.
She said: “This announcement perfectly sums up the impotency of Keir Starmer. It’s not even a real U-turn, it’s yet another consultation. The Prime Minister is trying to copy an announcement that the Conservatives made a week ago, and still not getting it right. The harm social media is doing to children is undeniable, and the Conservatives would get children off these adult platforms altogether.”