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Starmer Summons Social Media Bosses to No 10 Over Child Safety

The meeting signals the government could tighten child-safety rules soon after its consultation closes.

FILE-- MP for Ville-Marie-Le Sud-Ouest-Ile-des-soeurs Marc Miller rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer walks outside 10 Downing Street on the day of Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons, in London, Britain, April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Teenagers look at their mobile phone screens during an interview with Reuters about the bill aimed at banning the use of social networks for those under 15 and mobile phones in high schools from the start of the 2026 school year, in Paris, France, February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Manuel Ausloos/File Photo
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey.

Overview

  • Tech leaders from Meta, TikTok, X, Snap and Google met at Downing Street on Thursday, where Keir Starmer told them the risks to children “can’t go on like this” and pressed for visible safety changes.
  • MPs rejected for a second time a House of Lords bid to ban under‑16s from social media, with Wednesday’s 256–150 vote leaving the government pursuing broader options instead of an immediate age ban.
  • Ministers are running the Growing Up In The Online World consultation, which closes May 26, and Starmer says the government has powers to act quickly once responses are in.
  • Industry figures oppose a blanket under‑16 ban, with Google UK’s Kate Alessi arguing such rules remove choices from parents and could push children away from supervised spaces.
  • Australia’s December under‑16 ban is a test case that shows limits of enforcement, with polling suggesting many teens still access restricted apps via workarounds, even as Greece, Spain, Canada and some U.S. states weigh similar steps.