Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to move forward with proposals to enforce a social media ban on millions of Brits. This would take the form of an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s, blocking their access to platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
Angela Rayner's Call to Action
Angela Rayner has told the Prime Minister to "just make a decision," with the former deputy PM saying it is "so clear that that's what you need to do." The Government is set to complete its consultation on how to protect children online by Tuesday, with the blanket ban being one of the considerations by the Labour Party.
Podcast Discussion
Ms. Rayner appeared on the Rest Is Politics podcast, hosted by ex-Tory minister Rory Stewart and Tony Blair's Director of Communications and Strategy, Alistair Campbell. Mr. Campbell said: "I don't understand why the Government isn't just doing it in relation to stopping social media till you're 16. I think the country's kind of decided on this, and yet we've just got this bloody, seemingly never-ending process going on."
Ms. Rayner explained: "I think again that just makes people feel 'just make a decision and do it', like that sense of the low hanging political fruit. Why you can not just make a decision that when it seems so clear that that's what you need to do? It's this active state that is exactly what we need to be."
Prime Minister's Concerns
Speaking in April, the Prime Minister cited concerns raised by parents and experts over social media's impact on children. He said: "The evidence is mounting and the status quo simply cannot be allowed to stand. It's clear to me that parents aren't asking us for tweaks at the edges, they're asking us whether a system that clearly isn't working for children should be allowed to continue at all. Companies have to grip this and work with us to do better by British children."
