Wes Streeting invites Jonathan Haidt to brief officials on under-16 social media ban

Health secretary Wes Streeting has invited Jonathan Haidt, a bestselling author and advocate of banning social media for under-16s, to address an event with staff, charities and MPs as he pushes for the UK to consider following Australia’s landmark ban. Haidt rose to prominence after writing Anxious Generation, in which he argued that widespread smartphone use had caused a mental health crisis for young people, and he has become a global activist for stricter rules including bans on social media for under-16s and on smartphones in schools.

Prime minister Keir Starmer said he would consider “all options” and added: “We are looking at Australia, there are different ways you can enforce it.” He also said: “No one thinks you should have phones in schools.” Fleur Anderson, a Labour MP campaigning for curbs, said she was “really pleased” the prime minister was looking at the Australian model, and the debate has been provoked in part by the row over X’s AI tool allowing users to generate sexualised images of women and children.

Other party figures have left the door open to a ban: the Guardian reported that Ed Davey of the Liberal Democrats did so after Nigel Farage of Reform UK, Kemi Badenoch said she would enact a ban if elected and would push for one from opposition, and Andy Burnham said he would support such a move.

Government ministers are split between enthusiastic supporters of curbs and those worried about implementation and the impact on teenagers.

Key Topics

Politics, Wes Streeting, Jonathan Haidt, Keir Starmer, Australia, Social Media Ban