Charles Hymas Home Affairs Editor

Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to announce a ban on under 16s using social media in the next 10 days.

The Prime Minister has been considering what action to take after a three-month consultation on an Australia-style ban on children under 16.

There is growing speculation that Sir Keir will opt for a so-called “Australian-plus” model with a ban on a wider range of sites combined with restrictions on “addictive” features and tougher age checks to prevent children circumventing the rules.

Sir Keir is said to be carving out policies to provide him with a “legacy” as he faces the threat of a leadership challenge from Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor who is favourite to secure a return to Parliament in the Makerfield by-election on June 18.

However, Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner, has proposed that any social media ban should be extended to 16- and 17-year-olds, applying “equally to all children” up to 18.

She also urged Sir Keir to draw up a list of features tech firms would be forced to ban, because they encourage children to stay online, put them at risk of seeing harmful content or enable them to be contacted by strangers.

The Prime Minister is expected to announce the first stage of the crackdown on Monday, with tech companies being forced to install software that makes it impossible for children to take or share nude images.

Sir Keir will say that if businesses such as Google and Apple fail to comply within three months, legislation will be introduced that would mean the companies could face fines, regulations on phone sales to children or criminal sanctions.

Jess Phillips, who pressed for the curbs and resigned over delays in introducing them, has described the software as “game changer” technology that would protect children from online sexual predators and reduce risks by preventing them from sharing nude images.

Starmer urged to widen crackdown

There is huge popular support for tougher action, with the consultation showing that 89 per cent of 9,500 parents who responded supported a ban by setting a legal “minimum age of access”.

However, Dame Rachel said the restriction must apply “equally to all children” up to 18 because “if we are genuinely seeking to safeguard children from harm, we cannot allow 16- and 17-year-olds to have lesser protection”.

She said the ban should extend beyond social media networks, such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, to gaming sites, AI chatbots and any “risky” online services.

She said bans on functions should include “persuasive design” features such as autoplay, infinite scrolling and popularity metrics, such as the “like” button and count, and functions which allowed users to share their location and livestream.

Dame Rachel said: “I am calling for all online services – not just social media platforms, but gaming sites and any platforms that make use of harmful features and functionalities – to be banned from accessing children, until they can prove that they are designed in a way that will protect children’s safety and wellbeing.

“These are the terms that I believe this debate should be using. It is not about ‘banning children’. Children have done nothing wrong. They are not the culprit. It is about banning powerful technology companies from accessing and harming England’s children.”

She said children were still being exposed to numerous risks online despite the introduction of the Online Safety Act 2023. One in six children aged 13 to 17 (15 per cent) had viewed content promoting eating disorders, and one in seven (13 per cent) had seen content promoting suicide and self-harm.

She said the act had failed to protect children from more “insidious” harms such as the pressure to stay online, wasted hours and endless scrolling late at night.

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Dame Rachel accused adults of a “dereliction of duty”, which meant children that she had consulted felt they had to take the initiative themselves to stay safe and well online by turning off notifications, deleting accounts and using app blockers.

She told The Telegraph: “We need action to address technology companies’ unfettered access to children, often through features designed in ways that increase harm.

“That is why I am calling for a reset of the debate. Any online service – not just social media, but gaming and other platforms – that uses harmful or risky features should be banned from accessing under-18s unless and until it can prove it is safe.

“This means tackling the features that drive addiction, expose children to harmful content, or enable contact from strangers. The responsibility lies with companies to demonstrate that their services protect children’s safety and wellbeing. Until they do this, they should not be allowed into their lives.

“How the Government responds to this consultation will shape what it’s like to grow up in this country for years to come. I do not believe it is an overstatement to say that online regulation will be the defining issue for England’s children over the next decade.”

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