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Wes Streeting calls for ‘action’ on debate surrounding issue Youth under 16 years old are prohibited from using social mediaas he expressed concern it was damaging “young people’s life chances”.
The health secretary has warned that new technologies are being “released without a proper understanding of the consequences” and raised concerns about how the use of social media is affecting young people’s health.
Asked if he was in favor of a ban on under-16s, Mr Streeting told Sky News: “I’m certainly in favor of action in this area.
“I don’t want to impose my view on the debate and try to silence other voices because I can understand some counter-arguments that talk about some of the positives online and some of the positive associations that social media brings.”
Sir Keir Starmer Facing restricted appeals Access to social media platforms by youth under 16 years of age But it has so far resisted in recent weeks, instead saying it is monitoring the implementation of a similar ban in Australia.
Streeting said social media use was “a huge challenge” for young people. He said he was concerned about the impact of social media on “young people’s health, wellbeing, education, learning and life chances”.
“Whether it’s the impact of doomsday scrolls on cognitive and brain development, whether it’s bullies in the school playground now stalking kids home through the screens of social media apps and bullying them in their bedrooms, whether it’s the issues that we know exist around body image or grooming,” he said.
He added: “We are all having this debate and the Prime Minister is interested in it.”
Australia became the first country to impose a ban last month, with Conservative leader Kemmy Badenock promising her party would impose similar restrictions.
The UK’s recent online safety bill reflects research that children’s brains are damaged and altered by exposure to toxic material, hate, self-harming material and pornography.
The government has refused to outright ban social media for under-16s despite the bill introducing mandatory age verification for adult content, with UK reform group Nigel Farage striking an unusual deal on the issue.
Ofsted, the head of the schools watchdog, raised concerns late last year that social media was “diminishing” children’s attention spans and promoting disrespectful behaviour.
A 2025 survey of 5,800 teachers by teaching union NASUWT found that around four in five (81%) teachers said there had been an increase in the number of pupils exhibiting violent and abusive behaviour.
Nearly three-fifths (59%) of respondents to the same survey said they believed social media was one of the driving factors behind worsening behavior.