‘The next Prime Minister must deliver a safer digital future for our children’

When Keir Starmer hands over the keys of Number 10 in a few weeks, a defining part of his legacy will be the decisive move toward a ban on social media use for under-16s. His announcement last week was a landmark moment that so many parents, teachers and even children themselves had been calling for. A clear signal that the government is ready to act on the growing evidence of the harm of social media on children.

That commitment builds directly on the momentum we saw in February, when the Prime Minister visited my constituency of Putney to announce his determination to tackle the impact of social media on young people. On that day, we sat together to hear the powerful testimony of those whose lives have been shaped by social media. Their message was consistent and compelling: letting social media providers off the leash doesn’t work – something needs to change.

Now, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to turn that commitment into reality.

READ MORE: ‘Exactly right thing to do’: Labour MPs praise under-16s social media ban announcement

For years, the evidence has mounted. The link between excessive, unregulated social media use and declining mental health among children is no longer in question. What has been in question is whether politicians would take bold enough action to match the scale of the problem. With last week’s announcement, the Prime Minister has shown that we are prepared to meet that challenge.

A social media ban for under-16s is not about fear of technology or turning back the clock. It is about recognising that childhood needs boundaries and that safeguarding cannot rest on parents alone when platforms are designed to maximise engagement at any cost. It is about ensuring that young people can grow, learn and develop free from pressures that no previous generation has had to navigate.

But an announcement is only the beginning. The next Prime Minister must now move swiftly to implement a ban as a priority. That means legislation that is clear, enforceable and effective: proper age verification, meaningful penalties for companies that fail to comply and a regulatory framework that reflects the realities of how these platforms operate.

Crucially, it also means listening.

We must listen to parents, who are grappling daily with the challenges of raising children in an always-online world. We must listen to teachers, who see first-hand how digital experiences shape behaviour, focus and wellbeing. And we must listen to children themselves. They understand better than anyone the pressures, norms and hidden mechanics of social media. Their voices must be central to shaping a policy that will affect their lives so directly.

If we get this right, we can do more than restrict access – we can reset expectations. We can create a culture where constant connectivity is not seen as a prerequisite of childhood, and where young people are given the space to develop their identities without the distortions of algorithm-driven comparison and validation.

But this policy will not be welcomed by everyone. Tech giants, whose business models depend on capturing attention as early and as persistently as possible, will push back hard. They will frame their arguments around freedom, innovation and choice. They will warn of unintended consequences and economic risks.

We must be ready to withstand those arguments and fight back. Our children’s health, happiness and futures are at stake.

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Ultimately, this is a question of whose interests we put first. Are we prepared to accept a system in which children are treated as consumers to be captured and monetised? Or will we insist that their wellbeing comes before corporate profit? Leadership means making that choice and standing by it.

This is also about legacy.

For Keir Starmer, the work he began  – and which this government has now committed to advancing – can become one of the defining social reforms of our time. It will be seen as the moment when Britain chose to act decisively in the light of clear evidence and led globally to protect children online. For the next Prime Minister, the test will be delivery: implementing this policy with urgency, care and resilience in the face of inevitable pressure.

And for all of us, the task is to hold our nerve.

We have done this before. Public health measures – from seatbelt laws to smoking bans – were once controversial, resisted and dismissed. Today, they are accepted as common sense. Each required courage, each faced opposition. Each has saved harm on a scale that vindicates the decision. This is no different.

A social media ban for under-16s will not solve every challenge facing young people. But it is a vital and necessary step towards a healthier, safer digital environment – one that serves children, rather than exploits them.

This Prime Minister has taken an important step. Now the next one must deliver on it.

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