The Conservative party leader has intensified calls for immediate action on banning social media for under-16s, criticizing the government’s cautious approach. Kemi Badenoch urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to move decisively rather than delay implementation, despite acknowledging the practical challenges involved. Her intervention adds mounting pressure as parliamentary peers prepare to vote on legislation that would enforce such a ban within one year of passage.
The government has indicated it prefers to await evidence from Australia’s recently implemented social media restrictions before proceeding. However, Badenoch argues that postponement amounts to neglecting children’s deteriorating mental health. She contends that current generations face elevated anxiety levels and concentration difficulties directly attributable to social media exposure during critical developmental stages.
In written commentary, Badenoch drew parallels between social media regulation and existing protections for minors. Regulations restricting alcohol access, defining age of consent, and implementing school safeguards all exist because children’s brains are still developing. She accused the government of abandoning this protective logic in the digital realm. Badenoch rejected what she termed vague governmental commitments to consultation, demanding clear timelines and concrete action plans.
Badenoch highlighted an emerging consensus among campaigners, medical professionals, parents, and researchers opposing unrestricted youth access to social platforms. She argued that protecting children from social media could paradoxically expand adult online freedoms. If digital spaces no longer required universal child-safety measures, blanket content restrictions could be removed, treating adults as autonomous agents capable of independent judgment rather than imposing paternalistic oversight.
The Conservative party itself did not pursue social media bans during its previous governance, though it did enact the Online Safety Act strengthening provider obligations regarding child protection. Badenoch attributed this policy shift to fundamental changes in expert and public opinion regarding childhood development and digital safety.
Labour MPs have separately mobilized support for the ban. More than sixty Labour members, spanning party factions and including committee chairs and former senior figures, submitted correspondence urging Starmer’s backing. They describe constituents reporting that children display anxiety, unhappiness, and reduced learning focus. The MPs further note deficits in social skill development and inadequate preparation for adulthood.
Supporting letters from prominent campaigners and public figures reinforced these calls. Signatories included actors and Esther Ghey, whose teenage daughter was murdered in 2023. Survey data from the Parentkind charity showed 93 percent of parents believe social media harms young people. Advocates stressed that no other parliamentary amendment on this subject commanded equivalent cross-party consensus or promised equivalent prompt delivery of change.
