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A coalition of 60 members of the Labour Party have penned a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, pressing him to back a suggested prohibition on social media access for those under 16, with a parliamentary vote in the the upper chamber this week.

Cross-Party Appeal Grows

The MPs backing the letter, including committee heads, past shadow ministers and members from the entire Labour spectrum, are seeking to increase the pressure on the government. This amid mounting pressure for the UK to adopt a similar policy of Australia, which enacted a comparable prohibition last December.

While Starmer has said he remains receptive to a ban, peers in the House of Lords are seeking to force the issue through an proposed change to the Children, Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This amendment would mandate the implementation of a prohibition within 12 months of the legislation passing.

“Across our constituencies, we are told the same story: children are anxious, unhappy, and unable to focus on learning. They are lacking the interpersonal skills needed to succeed.”

International Action

The communication, which was organised by Labour MP Fred Thomas, further argues that “Globally, governments are accepting the severity of this issue and acting.” It highlights existing or pending legislation in countries like France, Norway, New Zealand, Greece and Denmark.

“We believe the burden must be assigned to technology platforms, not parents, to stop children from accessing their sites,” the MPs write. “We would support a framework akin to Australia’s that requires companies to take meaningful steps to enforce age limits.”

Practical Hurdles

This weight of parliamentary backing within the lower house places further pressure on the Prime Minister. Although he has in the past shown scepticism about the workability of a ban, he recently told MPs he was theoretically open to the concept.

Nevertheless, over the past few days, officials have highlighted concerns that a ban could push children toward the dark web. They maintain on the need to see more evidence from the Australian policy before enacting a UK version.

“On paper, Keir is in favour of a ban. We can all see the harms and are anxious about what is happening to the mental health of the young,” commented an insider. “But there are still major challenges to overcome with implementation. We need to take our time and make sure we do this properly.”

Parliamentary Test

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

Although the Labour leadership has not yet declared its stance on the amendment, several Labour peers are expected to support it irrespective of any party whip.

Among them is ex-parliamentarian Luciana Berger, who has backed Lord Nash's amendment. She stated: “The idea for increasing the social media age limit has huge support – nationally and inside the Labour party. Social media is profoundly hurting children and we must move swiftly to protect them.”