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A group of 60 Labour parliamentarians have penned a letter to Keir Starmer, urging him to back a potential ban on social media access for children under 16, with a parliamentary vote in the House of Lords this week.

Broad Appeal Grows

The lawmakers, including senior MPs, ex-ministers and representatives from the entire Labour spectrum, are seeking to ramp up pressure on the administration. This amid growing calls for the UK to adopt a similar policy of the Australian government, which implemented a comparable prohibition recently.

Although Starmer has said he remains open to the idea, legislators within the House of Lords are looking to bring the matter to a head through an legislative addition to the Children, Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This amendment would mandate the implementation of a age restriction within 12 months of the legislation passing.

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

International Action

The missive, coordinated by Labour MP Fred Thomas, further argues that “Internationally, governments are recognising the scale of this issue and acting.” It highlights implemented or proposed legislation in nations like Denmark, France, Norway, New Zealand and Greece.

“We believe the onus must be assigned to technology platforms, not parents, to block underage access,” the MPs state. “We would back a framework similar to Australia’s that obligates companies to take meaningful steps to enforce age limits.”

Practical Hurdles

This weight of parliamentary backing in the Commons adds further focus on the Prime Minister. While he has earlier voiced scepticism about the workability of a ban, he recently told MPs he was theoretically open to the proposal.

Yet, over the past few days, government figures have emphasised apprehensions that a ban could force children toward the dark web. They have insisted on the need to assess further information from the Australian experiment before enacting a UK version.

“In principle, Keir is for a ban. We can all see the dangers and are anxious about what is happening to children and teenagers,” commented an insider. “But there are still major challenges to overcome with putting it into practice. We need to move cautiously and make sure we get this right.”

Parliamentary Test

The Prime Minister's position will face a direct test this week when lords vote on the proposed change by Conservative peer John Nash. This amendment to the schools bill proposes introducing an age limit within 12 months the act is approved.

While the Labour leadership has not stated its voting intention on the amendment, several Labour peers are expected to support it regardless of any party whip.

Among them is ex-parliamentarian Luciana Berger, who has co-signed Lord Nash's amendment. She commented: “The idea for raising the social media age limit has significant public support – throughout the UK and across the Labour party. Social media is causing severe damage to children and we must act now to safeguard them.”