Wes Streeting has called for “action” on the debate around banning under-16s from social media, as he expressed concerns that it is harming the “life chances of young people”.
The health secretary has warned that new technology has been “unleashed without properly understanding the consequences,” and expressed concerns about how social media usage is affecting the health of young people.
When asked whether he was in favour of a ban for under-16s, Mr Streeting told Sky News: “I’m certainly in favour of action in this area.
“I don’t want to impose my view on the debate and try and silence other voices here, because I can understand some of the counter arguments that talk about some of the positives of being online and some of the positive connections that social media brings.”
Sir Keir Starmer has faced calls to place restrictions on under-16s accessing social media platforms in recent weeks, but has so far resisted, instead saying it is monitoring how a similar ban in Australia is working.
Asked whether the government is looking at a ban on social media for under-16s, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said “all options are on the table and we will always act to protect children”.
“We will of course look at the evidence and monitor closely what’s happening here and what’s happening internationally”, the spokesperson added.
Mr Streeting said social media usage for young people is “an enormous challenge”. He said he is concerned about the impact of social media on the “health, well-being, education, learning and life chances of young people”.
He said: “Whether that’s the impact of doom-scrolling on cognition and brain development, whether that’s the fact that school playground bullies now get to follow kids home and bully them in their bedrooms through their screens on social media apps, whether it’s the issues we know exist around body image, or around grooming.”
He added: “We’re all having that debate, the prime minister is interested in it.”
Australia became the first country to enact a ban last month, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pledging that her party would put similar restrictions in place.
The recent Online Safety Act in the UK reflected research that children’s brains were being harmed and changed by exposure to toxic materials, hatred, self-harm material and pornography.
While the act brought in mandatory age verification for adult content, the government has resisted an outright ban on social media for under-16s, with unusual agreement from Reform UK Nigel Farage on the issue.
The chief of schools watchdog Ofsted raised concerns at the end of last year that social media was “chipping away” at children’s attention spans and promoting disrespectful behaviour.
Teachers’ union NASUWT surveyed 5,800 teacher members in 2025 and found that about four in five (81 per cent) reported an increase in the number of pupils exhibiting violent and abusive behaviour.
Nearly three in five (59 per cent) of respondents to the same survey said they believed social media was one of the driving factors behind deteriorating behaviour.
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk
