Things can't go on like this, Starmer tells social media bosses

Key Points:

• Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met with executives from major social media companies, including Meta, Snap, Google, TikTok, and X, to address concerns about children's online safety and urged them to improve platform protections.
• Starmer emphasized that social media must become safer for British children, suggesting that restricting access might be preferable to allowing harm as a consequence of participation.
• The UK government is consulting on a possible ban of social media use for under-16s, following Australia's recent implementation of similar restrictions, although MPs recently rejected calls for an immediate ban.
• Critics, including charity leaders and academics, welcomed the government’s engagement but called for stronger regulatory action and accountability to prevent harm caused by social media business models and algorithms.
• Opposition politicians criticized Labour for opposing a social media ban for under-16s, arguing that the UK risks falling behind other countries in protecting children from online harms.