Starmer Confronts Tech Giants Over Children's Online Safety
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer convened a meeting at Downing Street with senior executives from Meta, Snap, Google (YouTube's parent company), TikTok, and X, to address the pressing issue of children's safety on their platforms. Sir Keir reportedly told the tech bosses that 'things cannot go on like this', emphasising that while social media could be made safer, curbing access would be 'preferable to a world where harm is the price of participation'.
This intervention follows mounting concerns from parents and experts regarding the detrimental impact of social media on children's concentration, sleep, relationships, and worldview. Sir Keir stressed that 'the evidence is mounting and the status quo simply cannot be allowed to stand', urging companies to 'grip this and work with us to do better by British children'.
The meeting occurs as the government continues its consultation on whether to implement a ban on social media for under-16s, drawing parallels with measures introduced in Australia. However, UK Members of Parliament recently voted against calls to ban social media for under-16s, with ministers arguing that such a ban was premature given ongoing governmental considerations for their own restrictions. Critics, including the Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott, contend that the UK is 'falling behind' other nations in addressing these harms.
Professor Gina Neff, head of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge, suggested the meeting allowed the government to appear 'on the front foot' regarding online harms, particularly amid 'changing geopolitical pressures on the government to be easy on US companies'.
Recent research from the Molly Rose Foundation indicated that over 60% of underage Australians continue to use social media despite their country's ban for under-16s, which was introduced in December 2025. Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, welcomed the Prime Minister's meeting but cautioned against 'hollow promises', advocating for a new Online Safety Act that prioritises safety over 'cavalier business models'.
The national consultation, which also examines age restrictions for gaming sites and AI chatbots, is set to conclude on 26 May, having already garnered over 45,000 responses.
