British PM Says ‘No Options off the Table’ as Calls Grow to Ban Social Media for Under-16s

Lawmakers cited members of the public saying children’s mental health and ability to focus on learning were being negatively impacted by social media use.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech after the signing of the declaration on deploying post-cease-fire forces in Ukraine during a summit on security guarantees for Ukraine, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Jan 6, 2026. Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Jan. 19 that more needs to be done to protect children online, amid calls from lawmakers that the UK should consider an Australia-style ban on social media for those younger than 16.

“I think we need to do more to protect children, and that’s why we’re looking at a range of options and saying that no options are off the table,” Starmer told reporters during a press conference.

He said that his government was looking at Australia’s recent social media ban and that he had discussed the measures with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“We need to do more to protect children when it comes to social media and screen time and associated harms. ... That’s why we’re looking at a range of options,” Starmer said.

The prime minister made the remarks in response to a question about whether he thought it was a good idea to restrict social media for minors.

This question followed a call on Jan. 18 from dozens of members of Parliament for the prime minister to impose a ban on social media access for those younger than 16.

According to an open letter shared on X by Fred Thomas, Labour member of Parliament for Plymouth Moor View and one of more than 60 signatories, lawmakers called for “urgent action” to raise the minimum age for access to social media platforms.

The members of Parliament cited reports from members of the public across their constituencies that children’s mental health and ability to focus on learning were being negatively affected by social media use.

“We believe the onus must be placed on technology platforms, not parents, to prevent underage access. We would support a model similar to Australia’s that requires companies to take meaningful steps to enforce age limits,” the letter reads.

“Public support for this approach is strong. Many of our constituents have recently got in touch sharing their concerns about the impact of social media on children and asking us to support a social media minimum age of 16. Most strikingly, young people themselves recognise the harm: 78 percent of Gen Z say they would try to delay their child using social media as long as possible.”

A child holds an iPhone at an Apple store in Chicago on Sept. 25, 2015. Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo

The House of Lords is currently considering the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which includes an amendment—yet to be voted on—that would require social media companies to stop under-16s from using their platforms.

Meanwhile, on Jan. 12, the UK’s communications regulator started an investigation into X, alleging that it broke British law by failing to comply with duties to protect people from illegal content in the UK.

On Jan. 14, X’s Safety unit said the company was imposing limits on the image-editing capabilities of Grok, its artificial intelligence chatbot, stating that it had implemented measures to prevent the Grok account from editing images of real people to make them appear in revealing clothing, such as bikinis.

The safety unit also said it was working to add additional safeguards and was taking “swift and decisive action” to remove illegal or violating content, suspending offending accounts, and working with authorities and law enforcement in relevant countries, where necessary.

“We remain committed to making X a safe platform for everyone and continue to have zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, non-consensual nudity, and unwanted sexual content,” X stated.