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A coalition of 60 Labour MPs have penned a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, pressing him to support a potential ban on social media access for those under 16, with a key vote in the House of Lords this week.

Widespread Appeal Grows

The signatories, who include senior MPs, ex-ministers and representatives from both the left and right of the party, are seeking to ramp up pressure on the government. This follows growing calls for the UK to follow the lead of Australia, which enacted a similar ban last December.

Although Starmer has said he remains receptive to a ban, peers in the House of Lords are looking to bring the matter to a head via an amendment to the current schools bill. This amendment would mandate the implementation of a age restriction one year of the legislation passing.

“In all of our areas, we hear the same message: children are anxious, unhappy, and struggling to concentrate on learning. They are failing to develop the necessary skills needed to flourish.”

Global Precedent

The letter, which was organised by Labour MP Fred Thomas, also states that “Around the world, governments are recognising the seriousness of this crisis and implementing measures.” It points to current or planned legislation in nations like Denmark, France, Norway, New Zealand and Greece.

“We believe the burden must be placed on technology platforms, not parents, to block access by minors,” the MPs write. “We would support a model akin to Australia’s that obligates companies to take concrete measures to uphold age limits.”

Practical Hurdles

This weight of parliamentary backing in the Commons adds further pressure on the Prime Minister. While he has in the past shown scepticism about the practicality of a ban, he recently informed MPs he was theoretically open to the idea.

Nevertheless, in recent days, administration sources have highlighted apprehensions that a ban could force children toward more dangerous parts of the internet. They maintain on the need to gather more data from the Australian policy before committing to a UK version.

“Theoretically, Keir is in favour of a ban. We can all see the harms and worry about what is happening to the mental health of the young,” commented an insider. “But there are still significant hurdles to overcome with putting it into practice. We need to proceed carefully and make sure we do this properly.”

Upcoming Vote

The Prime Minister's position will face a practical test this week when peers vote on the amendment by Conservative peer John Nash. This amendment to the schools bill proposes setting an age limit one year after the act is approved.

While the Labour leadership has not stated its stance on the amendment, multiple Labour peers are likely to support it irrespective of any instructions from whips.

Among them is former MP Luciana Berger, who has co-signed Lord Nash's amendment. She argued: “The proposal for increasing the social media age limit enjoys significant public support – nationally and inside the Labour party. Social media is causing severe damage to children and we must act now to safeguard them.”