Two-thirds of Brits assist a social media ban for under-16s as Labour broadcasts session on age limits amid risk of MPs’ revolt

Two-thirds of Britons support a social media ban for under-16s, new polling has revealed.

A survey conducted by The Good Growth Foundation think tank showed 66 per cent of respondents back an Australian-style ban for young people.

The research also found majorities in favour of new age restrictions on social media across Britain’s major political parties.

Some 78 per cent of Tory voters, 70 per cent of Reform UK voters and 69 per cent of Labour voters support the measure, according to the research.

Meanwhile, three-quarters (75 per cent) of those who voted for Labour at the 2024 general election but are now considering voting for Reform also support a ban.

It came as Sir Keir Starmer was forced into another climbdown by announcing a consultation on an Australian-style social media ban.

The Government will look at restricting access to sites and apps for under-16s as the Prime Minister attempts to see off another backbench rebellion.

A group of 61 Labour MPs this week wrote to Sir Keir to demand ‘urgent action’ to raise the minimum age for social media platforms.

A survey conducted by The Good Growth Foundation think tank showed 66 per cent of respondents back an Australian-style social media ban for young people

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said overnight curfews and breaks to prevent ‘doomscrolling’ will also form part of the Government’s consultation

Before the U-turn, the PM previously said he ‘personally’ opposed a blanket ban, adding last month: ‘I think it’s more about how you control the content children can see.’

In a statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said overnight curfews and breaks to prevent ‘doomscrolling’ will also form part of the Government’s consultation on social media for children.

She told MPs: ‘We will bring forward a swift three-month consultation on further measures to keep children safe online.

‘This will include the option of banning social media for children under 16, and raising the digital age of consent to stop companies using children’s data without their or their parents’ consent.

‘The consultation will include a range of other options too, such as whether there should be curfews overnight, breaks to stop excessive use or doomscrolling, how we ensure more rigorous enforcement of existing laws around age verification and action to address concerns about the use of VPNs to get around important protections.’

Ministers will visit Australia as part of the consultation, where a social media ban for under-16s came into force in December.

Kemi Badenoch has already said the Conservative Party would introduce a ban for under-16s if it was in power.

The Tory leader branded the consultation ‘more dither and delay’ from Labour, adding: ‘The harm social media is doing to children is undeniable, and the Conservatives would get children off these adult platforms altogether.’

Esther Ghey, whose 16-year-old daughter Brianna was murdered by two other teenagers in 2023, said on Monday that a ban would be ‘a vital step in protecting children online’.

Ian Russell, who set up the Molly Rose Foundation after his 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life, having viewed harmful content on social media, said: ‘In the last few days, parents have been presented with a false choice between a toxic status quo and a social media ban that risks unintended consequences and a false sense of security for parents.

‘The PM must now commit to strengthening the Online Safety Act to address the harmful and addictive design choices that are blighting a generation of children, and to make clear in law that protecting digital wellbeing is now the price of admission to the UK market.’

The Good Growth Foundation’s director of strategy, Louisa Dollimore, said: ‘This overwhelming public support for a social media ban for children comes at a time when a growing number of young people are leaving school and falling out of work due to mental health problems.

‘There is mounting evidence that social media piles pressures onto young people, and we don’t yet know how that’s affecting their opportunities and life chances.

‘We have a crisis with one million young people not in employment, education or training.

‘If we are serious about shifting the dial on the spiraling mental health crisis among children and young adults, we must be prepared to take decisive action.’

* The Good Growth Foundation, a member of the British Polling Council, surveyed 2,000 people between 16 to 19 January.