'I needed support when Brianna was alive': Murdered teen's mother backs Starmer's social media ban

Speaking to LBC's Tonight with Andrew Marr shortly after the ban was announced by the Prime Minister, Esther Ghey called the move "extremely positive".

"After three years of campaigning, it's definitely what I wanted to hear. Although I know that some people might not feel the same as me.

"There might be some young people that are really concerned about this decision and it's important that we make sure that there is support in place for people that are under 16 or families that might need it."

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Ms Ghey told Andrew that she wished she had the support of the ban before losing Brianna.

She told LBC: "Something that I've said from the start of my campaigning is that parents need support. I needed support when Brianna was alive.

"Brianna was killed in February 2023. [One of her] killers had been accessing the dark web, and they arranged, um, her death on WhatsApp and Snapchat. The main reason why I campaign is because of the suffering that Brianna experienced [in] the 2 years running up to her death.

"She was completely addicted to social media, she had an eating disorder, she was self-harming, and all of this was being exacerbated by the harms that she was seeing online."

Brianna, who was 16 at the time of her death, was murdered by teenagers Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in a frenzied stabbing attack in a park in Cheshire back in 2023.

Ms Ghey previously said she and Brianna were “constantly battling over her phone use and social media”, and an age limit like Australia’s would help parents in this battle.

Ester added: "It seems to have been some kind of a social experiment where young people have been forced into this online world.

"Social media companies have got to a point where they are putting profit before lives. It very much has seemed to be a social experiment, and we're seeing the repercussions of it now when we've got over 500 children a day that are being referred to mental health services for anxiety."

The Prime Minister announced the ban in response to concerns social media is unsafe, making children miserable and could cause lasting damage to their mental health.

He acknowledged some youngsters would try to find their way around a ban but said he would not compromise on the “safety and happiness of our children”.

Starmer’s move follows an LBC-led drive to make children safer online, after a series of Online Safety Days exposing the risks young people face on social media.

The restrictions, set to be passed by Christmas and in place by spring next year, will leave technology firms, rather than children, liable for enforcement action if they fail to comply.

There will also be measures to prevent children from chatting with adults on gaming and livestreaming platforms.

The Government is also looking at potential overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18s, with more details expected next month.