Starmer vows to act on social media after meeting bereaved parents
Keir Starmer said the UK will act on social media harms after meeting bereaved parents, as a consultation on child safety closes.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
Starmer promised decisive action on social media after hearing from families who blame online platforms for their children's deaths. The government is weighing bans, curfews and stronger age checks, but some parents say they are still not convinced real change will follow.
Some parents met the UK prime minister and asked him to make social media safer for children. They said online apps helped cause terrible harm, and they want rules that stop that happening again.
The government is now looking at different ideas, like making kids wait until they are older, checking ages more carefully, or turning off features that keep people scrolling for too long. It is like putting seatbelts and speed limits on a very fast car.
The big question is whether the new rules will be strong enough. Some parents do not trust promises yet, so they want to see real changes, not just more talking.
Analysis
What happened
Sir Keir Starmer met bereaved parents and campaigners at Downing Street and said the government would take "decisive" action on the impact of social media on UK children. The meeting came as the government's consultation on children and social media was closing.
The parents and campaigners told reporters they wanted stronger action, including raising the age of access for harmful platforms to 16. Some said they were still sceptical that the government would move far enough, even after the prime minister's comments.
What the government is weighing
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the government will respond to the consultation in the summer and that new measures for under-16s will be brought in by the end of 2026. The options under discussion include a ban for under-16s, as well as app curfews, stronger age checks, and turning off features like auto-play and infinite scroll.
The consultation has drawn more than 80,000 submissions, including responses from parents, young people, charities and campaign groups. Government figures shared with the Press Association showed 42,410 parents and 13,890 young people had filled in the survey.
The wider pressure
Former health secretary Wes Streeting also called for a ban on social media for under-16s, arguing that regulators and politicians had been "asleep at the wheel" and that the UK was behind the curve. He compared the tactics of big tech to big tobacco and urged the precautionary principle.
Kendall said the government wanted to hear all views before deciding, and said the review could look beyond the biggest social apps to services such as Roblox and Discord. The article also notes that tech firms are rolling out products including AI chatbots quickly, which adds to the pressure for rules that can keep up.
Key points
- Starmer told bereaved parents and campaigners that the government would take decisive action on social media harms.
- Some parents said they remained sceptical and wanted a minimum age of 16 for harmful platforms.
- The consultation considers bans, curfews, stronger age checks and limits on addictive features.
- Liz Kendall said new measures for under-16s should arrive by the end of 2026.
- The story also links the debate to fast-moving tech features, including AI chatbots.
