On Monday, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a sweeping ban on social media for children under the age of 16. The ban effectively blocks kids under 16 from having profiles on or using Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube. This ban apparently does not affect WhatsApp or Signal, probably because those are more direct communication/texting apps. Obviously, this is exactly the kind of social-media ban for which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have advocated for years now. A huge chunk of their Archewell work has been about raising the alert about kids using social media, from their formation of The Parents Network to their work on the Lost Screen Memorial. The Sussexes released a statement about the UK ban:
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are reacting to big news in the U.K. involving youth and technology. On June 15, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a statement praising British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement that young people under age 16 will be banned from major social media platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
“We welcome the U.K. Government’s announcement of new measures to better protect children online,” began the statement from Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, about the monumental decision in his home country.
“The stories shared through The Lost Screen Memorial remind us that behind every debate about technology and regulation are real families whose lives have been forever changed,” the couple continued, referring to The Lost Screen Memorial from their charity, Archewell Philanthropies. “While measures such as these may help reduce harm, they do not fix the problem at its source. Lasting change requires safer platforms by design, meaningful accountability, and a commitment to putting children’s wellbeing ahead of engagement and profit.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex argued that “The burden cannot rest solely on parents and children” and the responsibility of safer tech “must also be borne by the companies.” The couple are parents to two young children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.
“Until then, every day without meaningful change is another day that children remain exposed to preventable harm,” they said. “Stronger protections are better than inaction, and today’s announcement is a welcome step forward.”
Harry and Meghan responded on the same day that British premier Starmer announced the decision, which the Associated Press reported is expected to take effect next year. The move puts the U.K. on track to join Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia in introducing such legislation or regulating children’s access to online content, and Britain’s ban will apply to TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube.
I agree with Harry and Meghan – while it’s good to see the British and Australian governments try to directly deal with a massive threat to public health and safety, the social media “poison” continues to be made. The onus should be on these companies to change their policies and their algorithms and everything else. Why can’t governments regulate what is, in essence, the Wild West of social media?
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.
