Technology companies have been given “more than enough time to get their house in order”, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said, ahead of a major government announcement expected to tighten restrictions on social media use among teenagers.
Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Nandy said platforms that fail to make their services safe for children risk losing access to young users altogether. She argued that companies must take responsibility for harmful content and addictive design features, stating they would “lose the right to market their products towards children” if they do not act.
The prime minister is expected to outline new measures on Monday that could include restricting access to some social media platforms for under-16s, along with possible curfews for older teenagers. According to The Times, the proposals are part of a broader push to address concerns about children’s exposure to harmful online material.
However, the plans have already drawn criticism from campaigners. Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly died after viewing harmful online content, said he was “dismayed” by reports of the proposed ban. He argued the policy may have been accelerated for political reasons and warned against rushed decision-making.
“If he’s playing politics, what he’s doing is gambling with young people’s lives,” Russell said, describing the approach as “deplorable”.
Nandy declined to comment directly on the details of the upcoming announcement but stressed the government’s focus is on “how, not whether” to strengthen protections for children online. She said consultation responses showed strong public backing for restricting social media access for under-16s.
She acknowledged that similar measures introduced elsewhere, including Australia’s ban on under-16s using certain platforms, would not fully prevent determined users from bypassing restrictions. However, she said such policies could still shift cultural norms around early social media use.
“At the ages of eight, nine, 10 and 11, children aren’t presuming they are going to be in these spaces because all of their friends are,” she said, adding that this change in expectation was a key part of the policy’s impact.
Nandy also pointed to what she described as the urgency of the issue, arguing that action cannot be delayed while children continue to be exposed to harmful online environments. She said technology firms had been warned repeatedly and now faced consequences if they failed to respond.
Opposition voices also weighed in. Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge supported the idea of tighter controls but warned that legislation often struggles to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology.
Earlier in the year, the government launched a consultation exploring a range of options, including disabling addictive features such as infinite scrolling and auto-play, as well as introducing overnight curfews for minors.
Australia has already introduced a ban on under-16s accessing several major platforms, including Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok. However, some child welfare organisations in the UK, including the Molly Russell Foundation and the NSPCC, have raised concerns about adopting a similar approach domestically, warning it may not address underlying risks online.
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