Streeting slams lawmakers for being 'asleep at the wheel' as children exposed to 'online Wild West'
Ministers announced in April that they would introduce “age or functionality restrictions” on social media for under-16s
Businesses, governments, and regulators have been "asleep at the wheel" when it comes to social media harms, Wes Streeting has claimed - adding that we've been "far too permissive" with children's access to platforms.
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His comments on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast come as bereaved families are set to meet with Sir Keir Starmer to urge the PM to restrict social media use for children until the "companies responsible have fixed it and proven it is safe".
The Government’s Growing Up In The Online World consultation, which touted measures like an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s and app curfews, is coming to a close.
The House of Lords has previously voted four times to force the government to raise the minimum social media age limit to 16.
On Tuesday, Mr Streeting told LBC: "I really think that whether it's the platforms, government and regulators, people have been asleep at the wheel while these harms have unfolded and children have been left to an online wild west.
"I really feel for parents in all of this because parents are doing their best as well to think about how to keep their children safe online, but they are up against the multi-trillion-dollar industry that uses behavioural science, algorithms and peer pressure."
Read more: Wes Streeting compares social media giants to tobacco companies
Expanding on the harms, Mr Streeting told Ferrari that young children aged between three and five are using social media in a way that is "high risk and harmful".
He added that young people in his constituency want a "level playing field".
They recognise that it is "harmful" and "addictive" but they don't want to miss out - especially when all of their friends are using it.
"It's not just the parents who are speaking through the unimaginable pain and grief of losing their children because of online harms," Mr Streeting said.
"It's also young people presenting themselves in accident emergency departments with ligatures because they've been taught to and encouraged to harm themselves and attempt suicide online.
"We've got young people presenting with signs of strangulation and marks on their bodies because they have been led to believe through violent pornography, that violence in sex is normal."
Ministers announced in April that they would introduce “age or functionality restrictions” on social media for under-16s regardless of the consultation outcome, which could be put into law before the end of 2026.
They also pledged to set out a plan for delivering this by no later than July.
But campaigners and bereaved families say that commitment must now be met in full, with no further delay.
The NSPCC, alongside dozens of leading children's organisations and bereaved parents, has set out clearly what protections children need.
Mr Streeting added that he believes algorithmic recommendations feeds, infinite scrolling, behaviour profiling, and autoplay would be targeted in a ban.
"We're adults and it's for us to make informed choices as adults about how we spend our time.
"With children and young people, I think we've been far too permissive.
"We were brought up to believe that you need to learn how to use tools, but what we would never have done is leave three to five year olds with a hammer, a saw and a set of nails unsupervised and said, 'off you go', you need to learn how to use it.
"That's what we've done with mobile phones and social media platforms."