PM hints social media ban for children IS coming as he vows to act

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LBC was in the room when the Prime Minister hauled in social media bosses to Downing Street today, to explain what they're doing to protect children online.

And we understand he has written directly to CEOs including X's Elon Musk and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg to urge them to do more.

Sir Keir told LBC this morning: "We are going to act. And the question now is, what exactly is that and what's the timescale around it?"

But he refused to commit to action before the summer.

A consultation put out by the government - covering a social media ban, action on scrolling, algorithms and AI chatbots, is due to come back next month.

The government has already secured the extra powers they need to act as soon as it comes back.

Australia, Greece, France and other nations around the world have already voted to restrict social media to children, and campaigners say we're not acting fast enough.

But some charities - including the NSPCC and Molly Rose Foundation, are not wholly convinced it will work.

Sir Keir told us that social media firms are "beginning to act".

"The question is, what else, what more? Because we can't go on like this. We have to protect children. They're not being protected. We're halfway through the consultation we're doing.

"We've had very many parents telling us how concerned they are. Children themselves saying that they're anxious, they're spending the whole time scrolling, they're in their bedroom, they're not doing other activities.

"There is no question now about the levels of concern. There's an overwhelming case and that's why we have to act.

"We took powers earlier in Parliament to make sure we can act very quickly so this won't be like the Online Safety act, which took years. This is going to be much quicker than that.

"We're not a government that's going to sit back here. We're going to act and therefore this has to be done, it has to be done swiftly."

The Prime Minister also revealed to us that he put curbs on his own children's social media and phone use when they were younger, in a bid to restrict their screen time.

He explained: "So far as any parent, all of us are worried about social media.

"My children are slightly older now. My boy is nearly 18, my girl is 15, so they're a bit older. But yes, we talk to them about social media and when they were younger, we had limits on how long they could be on.

"The same sort of discussions as many parents will be having.

"But this isn't about what individual parents are doing. I think most parents are saying, we want help. Most parents are saying, we are concerned about this. Please put a framework around it. And that's why I say we are going to act here. It's not a question of whether we are going to act."

Sir Keir told the tech bosses today that “things can’t go on like this" and warned "they must change because right now social media is putting our children at risk."

The PM said this was far better than a world where "harm is the price of participation.”

He added: “I am determined we will build a better future for our children, and look forward to working with you on this.

“I do think this can be done. I think the question is not whether it is done, the question is how it is done.”

Sir Keir hauled social media bosses into Downing Street to talk about the risks children face online.

Among those who gathered inside No 10 were Wifredo Fernandez of X, Alistair Law of TikTok, Markus Reinisch of Meta, and Kate Alessi of Google.

The Prime Minister said the talks on Thursday will be about “making sure social media companies step up and take responsibility” as failing to act would have “stark” consequences.

This comes despite the Government failing to back a Lords amendment to the Children and Wellbeing Schools Bill, which would have banned under-16s from social media on Wednesday night.

The Government did not support the amendment from former schools minister, Lord Nash, and instead is waiting for the end of a consultation into social media addiction before bringing forward its own measures.

Measure being consulted upon could include an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s, limits on addictive features, and stronger controls on AI chatbots.

Sir Keir has previously been hesitant to support an outright ban but has signalled he will take action to curb features such as infinite scrolling that keep young users hooked to social media.

Senior leaders from Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, Elon Musk’s X, Snap, TikTok, and Google – which owns YouTube – will be questioned by Sir Keir and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall on what they are doing to protect children and respond to parental concerns.

Writing exclusively for LBC Opinion this morning, the Prime Minister said: "Launched six weeks ago, we are now at the mid-way point of our national conversation on growing up in the online world.

"I’ve already heard the views of parents, teenagers, academics and experts. They are clear with me that people want the benefits of technology, but not the harms that too often come with social media.

"It’s a worry I’ve heard repeatedly from parents over recent weeks. They are worried about the pace of change, about a lack of control, and, above all else, about the wellbeing and safety of their children using it.

"As a dad to two teenagers, I completely get that. I feel those same worries that millions of parents do.

"Like them, I want to know that when my kids pick up their phones, they’re not being exposed to things that can harm them, or glued to their screens by addictive design. That’s why getting this right matters so deeply to me.

"In a world where technology is moving faster than ever before, it’s a challenge we must all step up to face – and that means social media companies too."

Some social media firms have already ramped up protective measures such as disabling autoplay for younger users, giving parents more control over screen time and introducing curfews, but the Prime Minister has said they must go further, No 10 said.

A ban for under-16s has received pushback from the industry, with Google’s UK boss warning that is not the “right approach” and could push children towards more dangerous corners of the internet.

Kate Alessi, managing director and vice-president of Google UK and Ireland, told the Press Association last month: “We believe blanket bans take choices away from parents and push kids out of supervised spaces.”

Lord Nash, a Conservative former schools minister, has said recent court cases in the US which found social media platforms liable for designing addictive platforms and exposing children to harmful content were “game changers” for his cause of introducing an age limit.

The Government has promised to move quickly once its Growing Up In The Online World consultation closes on May 26, with changes to be made within months.

It has already received more than 45,000 responses, including from nearly 6,000 young people, according to Downing Street.

Ellen Roome, founder of Jools Law and bereaved mother of Jools Sweeney, said: "Photo opportunities in Downing Street do nothing to protect children. I have written to the Prime Minister and he has never bothered to reply.

"Social media companies have sat in rooms with parents like me - parents who have lost their children - and heard exactly what their platforms do.

"They have heard it in meetings and they have heard it in courtrooms. And still they do nothing. This meeting will be no different

"It is just a stunt designed to distract from the fact that the Government told its own MPs to vote against raising the age limit.

"The Prime Minister says he will take all necessary steps to protect children - except the one step that is actually in his power. Acting now to raise the age limit for harmful social media to 16. My message to the Prime Minister is very clear, we don’t need more meetings. We just need leadership."