The UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a blanket social media ban on Monday, June 15, 2026.
During a Downing Street press conference, Starmer said, “Social media is making children unhappy, it’s making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health.”
Starmer called it a ‘big step,’ saying, “Today is a big moment for our country. This is a big step, real change for our children and our future.”
The press conference at Downing Street witnessed a large audience including a series of campaigners who pushed for a ban, including parents of those kids, who have lost their children, whom the prime minister thanked.
“I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen, and that is why this ban will happen,” stressed PM Starmer.
The PM, Starmer, in a post-press conference, took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared a video post.
He said, “We are banning social media access for under 16s. I just can’t let that go anymore. So we’re giving children their childhoods back.”
The social media restrictions will include a ban on access to all the main social media platforms, with separate limitations on online products that are left out of the ban.
These include gaming apps, including stripping away the option to chat with strangers.
These steps are seen as one step further than the one implemented in Australia, which championed it by implementing it in the first place in December last year.
Last week, it was reported by multiple outlets that the UK prime minister eyeing on making the government clamp down on social mediausage for under 16s, next week
2026-06-15 13:23:00
