More than 100,000 people urge MPs to ban social media for under-16s in UK

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Priya BharadiaJanuary 15, 2026 at 04:22 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

A campaign by Smartphone Free Childhood has spurred over 100,000 people in the UK to contact their MPs, urging a ban on social media for those under 16, similar to a potential ban in Australia. The email campaign, launched on Tuesday, calls for age-appropriate boundaries on social media use. Prime Minister Keir Starmer indicated the government is considering such a ban, citing concerns about children's screen time and the need for better protection. Health Secretary Wes Streeting also expressed concerns about the risks of social media on young minds, drawing an analogy to unsupervised access to dangerous tools. While Starmer previously opposed a ban due to enforcement concerns, he now states that all options are on the table.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

BBC Radio 4 30% Labour Party (UK) 30% Jonathan Haidt 40% Joe Ryrie ×250% Wes Streeting ×260% Australia ×260% Smartphone Free Childhood ×270% Keir Starmer ×380% UK ×290%

Keywords

social media ban 100% under-16s 90% children 80% uk 70% mps 60% screen time 60% smartphone free childhood 50% mental health 50% online safety 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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social media ban under-16s children uk mps screen time smartphone free childhood mental health online safety

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