Kemi Badenoch says Tories would ban under-16s from social media | EUROtoday

Kemi Badenoch has mentioned the Conservative Party would ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms if it had been in energy.

The Tory chief instructed the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that platforms had been taking advantage of kids’s “anxiety” and “distraction” and had been “designed to be addictive”.

It comes after lecturers’ union the NASUWT mentioned the Government ought to usher in laws that will make large tech platforms forestall kids from accessing their platforms.

In Australia, a social media ban for under-16s got here into drive in December.

Mrs Badenoch mentioned: “What we want to see is common sense – protection for children and freedom for adults.

“We want to give parents some understanding that the Government understands what they’re going through. So we want to bring in age limits.

“The internet is a wild west, social media in particular. We don’t think children should be on there, and we want the industry to see the direction of travel so that we can start working with them now in order to get the proper solutions in place.”

Mrs Badenoch mentioned that as a mother-of-three, she understands that age limits wouldn’t fully cease kids from accessing social media, however would take away a “critical mass” from the platforms.

She went on: “Even from my own usage of social media, I can see how it’s designed to keep you on there again and again and again.

“And we’re also seeing a huge increase in depression and anxiety, mental health issues. Some of this correlates quite strongly with social media use.

“We’re having people come out of university, go straight on to benefits. We want to curb that.

“So all of this is linked with our wider strategy, banning phones in schools, getting people into work.

“All of these are bricks that are going to build up our policy wall.”

Dismissing a suggestion from presenter Laura Kuenssberg that she performed “rather a lot of Candy Crush”, Mrs Badenoch mentioned that she by no means had, however that she did use Instagram to test messages and that “half-an-hour later you realise that you’ve just been looking at memes and things like that”.

After her interview, Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, wrote on X: “I find myself agreeing with a lot of what Kemi Badenoch is saying about children and social media. It seems to me parents would welcome a cross-party consensus around much bolder action.”

Calling for a ban, NASUWT common secretary Matt Wrack mentioned: “Teachers are dealing every day with the fallout of a social media landscape not originally designed and not suitable for children.

“Social media companies have shown time and again that they will not act responsibly unless they are forced to do so.

“If we are serious about safeguarding children, protecting their mental health and combating the behaviour crisis in our schools, then a statutory ban for under‑16s must happen urgently.”

The chief of colleges watchdog Ofsted raised issues on the finish of final yr that social media was “chipping away” at kids’s consideration spans and selling disrespectful behaviour.

The NASUWT surveyed 5,800 trainer members in 2025 and located that about 4 in 5 (81%) reported a rise within the variety of pupils exhibiting violent and abusive behaviour.

Nearly three in 5 (59%) of respondents to the identical survey mentioned they believed social media was one of many driving elements behind deteriorating behaviour.

In a separate ballot of 300 members, the NASUWT discovered 89% mentioned they’d help a statutory social media ban for under-16s.

A Government spokesperson mentioned: “We support headteachers to take the necessary steps to prevent disruption in our schools – backed by our guidance, the vast majority already restrict the use of phones in the school day, so they do not disrupt learning.

“Through the Online Safety Act, we have taken some of the boldest steps anywhere in the world to ensure children have age-appropriate experiences online, mandating that social media companies protect under-18s from harmful content.

“We are striking the right balance: protecting children from harm while ensuring they can benefit safely from the digital world.”