- The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has stated that addictive social media features should not be permitted, warning that the next generation would not forgive the Government if it failed to act.
- Sir Keir signalled his government's intention to curb functions like infinite scrolling and 'streaks' that encourage prolonged app usage, arguing there is no case for features designed to addict children.
- While currently consulting on a potential outright ban for under-16s, the Prime Minister expressed being 'open-minded' about such a measure and affirmed that the current situation regarding social media use 'will not stay as it is'.
- His comments follow a landmark US court case where a jury found Meta and Google liable for a woman's childhood social media addiction, recommending she be awarded six million dollars (£4.4 million) in damages.
- Sir Keir views the US court decision as a potential 'turning point' that could lead to 'much stricter content restriction' and has vowed to 'fight' tech companies over children's screen time and social media use.
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