Under-16s social media ban: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer set to unveil plans to restrict online activity for children

As the Prime Minister gets set to ban social media use for under 16s, one children’s tsar has said plans do not go far enough. Sir Keir Starmer is reportedly poised to announce the ban within the next 10 days, however, he is facing calls to extend it to cover all teenagers under the age of 18.

Following a nationwide consultation that closed last month the PM is set to restrict young people’s online activity to protect them from harmful content. London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has already thrown his weight behind the proposal, saying tech firms must prove their services are safe for children or face a ban on being available to under-16s.

Australia imposed a blanket ban in December and ministers in the UK have been going through the evidence.

The children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza, however, has proposed any ban should also cover 16 and 17-year-olds, who she said should not have “lesser protection”. Speaking to The Telegraph, she said: “We need action to address technology companies’ unfettered access to children, often through features designed in ways that increase harm.”

The PM is said to be announcing the plans in a speech ahead of the Makerfield by-election on June 18, when Labour leadership rival Andy Burnham will learn whether his path has been cleared to return to Westminster and challenge the Prime Minister, according to multiple reports.

Downing Street declined to comment.