Brianna Ghey’s mother urges Starmer to ban social media for under-16s
Brianna Ghey’s mother explains why social media should be banned for under-16s
- Esther Ghey, mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, has urged the Prime Minister and other party leaders to support a ban on social media for children under 16, citing her daughter's struggles with online content and addiction.
- Ms Ghey believes such a ban is a vital step in protecting children online, highlighting how harmful content exacerbated Brianna's eating disorder and self-harm.
- An amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, seeking to compel social media companies to prevent under-16s from accessing platforms, is set for debate among peers this week and has garnered support from the National Education Union and 61 Labour MPs.
- However, 42 child protection charities and online safety groups have warned against a blanket ban, suggesting it would treat symptoms rather than the problem, and instead advocate for strengthening the Online Safety Act to enforce robust age limits.
- The Liberal Democrats have proposed film-style age ratings for social media, with some platforms legally restricted to users over 16, a 'smart approach' that party leader Sir Ed Davey believes balances benefits with harm reduction.