UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Takes Aim at Addictive Social Media Scrolling for Children
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has fired a direct shot at social media giants like Instagram and TikTok, demanding they take meaningful steps to stop young users from falling into the trap of endless, mindless scrolling. Speaking publicly on Monday, Starmer made it clear that these platforms can no longer sit on the sidelines while children’s mental health and daily routines suffer the consequences.
The UK is already actively exploring a range of measures to limit children’s exposure to social media. These include outright bans, curfews, and app time limits, all of which are currently being tested to measure their real-world effects on children’s sleep patterns, academic performance, and family relationships.
“We’re consulting on whether there should be a ban for under 16s,” Starmer told BBC Radio during an interview on Monday. “But I think equally important, the addictive scrolling mechanisms are really problematic to my mind. They need to go.“
The Prime Minister didn’t hold back when calling out the deliberate design choices made by social media companies. He stated plainly that these platforms have engineered algorithms specifically to encourage addictive behaviour — and that parents across Britain are now turning to the government for answers and real action.
UK Government Opens Public Consultation on Children’s Online Safety
The UK government has confirmed that its public consultation on children’s online safety has already attracted responses from more than 45,000 people. Authorities have also stressed that there is still time for the public to weigh in, with the official consultation deadline set for 26 May.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall echoed the Prime Minister’s urgency on Monday, expressing a clear desire to hear from a wide range of voices affected by the issue. “We want to hear from mums and dads who are worried about the amount of time their children spend online and what they are viewing,” Kendall said in a statement.
She also emphasised the importance of hearing directly from the young people who are living this reality every day. “We want to hear from teenagers who know better than anyone what it is like to grow up in the age of social media,” Kendall added, noting that family views on curfews, AI chatbots, and addictive features are all part of the conversation.
Britain is not alone in wrestling with this challenge. In December 2024, Australia made global headlines by becoming the world’s first country to ban social media access for children under the age of 16. Countries like Greece and Indonesia have since followed suit with their own versions of similar restrictions, signalling a growing international momentum toward protecting minors in the digital space.
The pressure is now firmly on tech platforms to respond — not just to regulatory threats, but to the growing chorus of concern from parents, educators, and governments worldwide. Whether the UK moves forward with a formal ban or pushes for structural changes to how these platforms operate, one thing is increasingly clear: the era of unchecked algorithmic manipulation targeting young users is facing its most serious political challenge yet.
With tens of thousands of citizens already engaging in the national consultation, the UK government appears determined to make children’s digital safety a defining policy priority — and social media companies are being put on notice that voluntary change is no longer optional.