IN January, I wrote to the Prime Minister, alongside over sixty other Parliamentarians, to call for social media to be banned for those under the age of 16. The recent announcement that this ban is going ahead should be welcomed with by anyone who cares about keeping kids safe from online harms and giving them their childhood back.

With this decision, the UK joins countries such as Norway, Denmark, France, and Greece – who are expected to announce similar bans – and Australia, who implemented their ban in late 2025.

It is clear action was needed: The internet has increasingly become a wild west of danger and harm. At best, social media sites are intentionally designed to devastate the attention spans of our children, keeping their eyes glued to screens for as long as possible. At worst, these sites are home to predators who exploit children, pressuring them to take indecent images, engaging in blackmail, or radicalising them into political or religious extremists.

There is a vast body of evidence that shows it is directly damaging the mental health of young people, feeding into conditions such as depression and anxiety. Modern day snake-oil salesmen and women take advantage of teen insecurities, encouraging misogyny in order “to be a real man” and presenting unrealistic, unattainable beauty standards as the norm, so they can sell pills, supplements, diet plans, and coaching courses: A social media ban for under 16s will give kids their childhoods back.

That’s why 9/10 parents wanted a ban, alongside numerous charities, and children's and online safety organisations, such as Mumsnet, the NSPCC and Barnardo's. It’s clear that the tech giants were unable or unwilling to step up to the plate and do what’s right, so the Government has acted to keep our children safe.

I do genuinely respect those who disagree with the policy, believe there are better solutions out there, or those who are technology optimists and think the benefits outweighs the harm. However, I also find it quite astonishing to see the significant overlap of objectors with certain, usual suspects: far right activists and even perpetrators, who frequently engage in online abuse against others. The irony of the “protect our women and children” crowd fighting to keep kids on sites where harmful and inappropriate content is abundant, is not lost on me. That includes, until very recently, a social media site that allowed users to create indecent and nude AI images of children and non-consenting women. Once again: Be careful of the company you keep.

So, I make no apologies for a social media ban for under 16s. I grew up in the advent of social media and, amidst many happy memories, would struggle to recall a single one that involved writing or reading nonsense posts, arguing online with faceless strangers, consuming factually baseless slop, or relied on social media full stop.