Nightmare for Keir Starmer as petition against major policy hits huge milestone

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a huge backlash to one of his major policies. Before the Prime Minister said that he would resign last week, he announced a social media ban for children younger than 16-years-old. Now, a petition against the move has garnered more than 215,000 signatures. At the time of writing, the online document, which closes on August 11 and will be considered for debate by MPs, has 215,188 supporters. It reads: "I think the government shouldn’t ban social media for under 16s. This is because for many young people social media is how they communicate with their friends.

"Some people view social media as a lifeline. A community, a supportive network. This is why I think the government shouldn’t ban it." The government plans to use the same model for a social media ban as Australia. This would capture user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms. The ban will therefore include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.

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The government added that it does not intend for messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to be included in the ban.

Sir Keir said: "Parents want to keep their kids safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever.

"I’ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them.

"That’s why we’re going further than any country in the world by banning social media for under-16s and putting wider protections in place to give kids their childhood back.

"This is a line in the sand. Tech giants had their chance and failed, but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations."

Eight in 10 Australian young people are reported to be still accessing social media in the months after a ban for under-16s took effect in the country, according to research.

The findings from a small study of the initial impacts of the world-first ban suggested “insufficient evidence of any substantive early effects”, the University of Newcastle study said.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has acknowledged the ban will not be a “complete silver bullet”, saying it is about providing clarity for parents and children and resetting expectations and social norms when it comes to young people’s use of social media.