Social media: Don’t ban children, fix the platforms

Keir Starmer has announced a ban on social media for children under 16, promising to “make our children safer”. The risks that parents and campaigners have identified are clear, but this ban is completely the wrong response, driven by a false narrative that our only options are an outright prohibition or the dangerous status quo.

At Good Law Project, we firmly reject the binary of “ban or no ban”. Along with 42 child protection charities and online safety groups, we believe the digital world is an unavoidable reality of modern life, and attempting to cut young people off from these platforms is a shortsighted reaction to a systemic problem. Instead of punishing children by excluding them from their digital communities, the focus must squarely be placed where it belongs: on the tech giants themselves.

Social media platforms must change their fundamental design. For too long, these massive corporations have relied on highly addictive algorithms, poor moderation, and dark patterns to maximise engagement at the expense of our wellbeing. But we shouldn’t try to lock children out of this poisonous environment, we should clean up the toxic ecosystem instead. If these platforms want access to the lucrative UK market – and if they want the privilege of providing services to our kids – they must be forced to adhere strictly to our laws and prioritise safety by design.

This ban is not only harmful – it won’t work. Evidence from Australia, which banned social media for under-16s in December, shows that 61% of 12-15 year olds who had an account before the ban still have access. It’s easy to bypass bans with basic technological workarounds. Worse, they risk driving underage use underground, putting children at greater risk and making them much less likely to ask for help if they encounter harmful content. An unenforceable ban creates a dangerous illusion of safety while leaving the root causes completely untouched.

Keir Starmer’s successor must see the error of his predecessor’s ways and step back from this flawed policy. Ministers must stop looking for headline-grabbing quick fixes. Instead, the government must muster the political will to robustly regulate big tech. There’s no need to ban our children from the digital public square – let’s force social media platforms to comply with their obligations under existing laws and build an internet that is actually safe for everyone, young people included.