British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was to hold talks yesterday with representatives from social media firms to press them to do more to keep children safe online, as calls grow for a ban on under-16s using the platforms.
“Today is about making sure social media companies step up and take responsibility,” Starmer said ahead of the meeting with senior figures from Meta, TikTok, X and other firms.
“The consequences of failing to act are stark. We owe it to parents, and to the next generation, to put children’s safety first — because they won’t forgive us if we don’t,” he said.
Photo: AP
The British government is considering new restrictions on popular social media apps with ministers under pressure from some to introduce an Australia-style ban.
Australia in December last year became the first nation to prohibit people younger than 16 from using immensely popular and profitable social media platforms.
Starmer has not ruled out a ban, but is waiting for the outcome of a public consultation, due to close on May 26.
He said last month that he was “very keen” to tackle addictive features following a landmark US ruling that found Meta and YouTube liable for harming a young woman.
“For parents, the stakes could not be higher — this is about whether children grow up supported and safe online or exposed to harm with no one taking responsibility,” Starmer’s office said.
The two chambers of Britain’s parliament are in a standoff over whether to follow Australia.
The British House of Lords voted in favor of prohibiting social media for under-16s for a second time last month, piling pressure on the government to follow suit.
However, members of parliament in the British House of Commons have rejected the proposal twice.
SPEAKING OUT: After Siranudh Scott’s allegations surfaced, celebrities and public figures took to social media to share their own experiences of sexual misconduct and abuse A high-profile alleged sexual abuse case within a wealthy Thai beer brewing family has prompted a wave of painful accounts from survivors of unconnected abuse in the conservative nation. Siranudh Scott, a member of the billionaire Thai family that founded the ubiquitous Singha beer brand, posted an emotional video this month accusing his elder brother Sunit of repeatedly abusing him when he was a teenager. Sunit, who is in his 30s, later denied the allegations in a video posted online, but Singha parent Boonrawd dismissed him from his executive role with the company on Tuesday last week. “I felt I needed to speak
SEEKING ORDER: Rodrigo Paz said that ‘anyone who wants to destroy the nation will have to deal with this president and the full force of the constitution’ Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on Wednesday said that the nation was at a “breaking point” after nearly a month of protests that have caused shortages of food, fuel and medicine. Paz, who took office six months ago amid the worst economic crisis there in four decades, is battling a groundswell of fury over his policies. The political capital, La Paz, has been besieged by low-income workers and members of the indigenous majority calling for his resignation. “The country needs order and is reaching breaking point,” the 58-year-old said at a public event in La Paz, renewing his appeal for dialogue. On Tuesday, the Bolivian
‘CROSSING THE LINE’: China’s embassy in Seoul criticized US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson, asking if his ‘hostile’ remarks were authorized by Washington South Korea and the US are in talks over recent public remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea, Seoul’s presidential office said yesterday, after the comments drew sharp criticism from China. In a recent podcast interview, US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson described South Korea as “the dagger in the heart of Asia” from China’s east coast, prompting the Chinese embassy in Seoul to say that he had “truly crossed the line.” The interview came amid growing speculation that Washington might seek to expand the role of US Forces Korea in countering the growing regional influence of China, a key
Forecasters in Europe yesterday warned of exceptional heat as record temperatures driven by a “heat dome” push temperatures well above seasonal norms across the continent. The surge follows a record-breaking Monday, with France logging its hottest day in the month of May on record, its weather agency said, and the UK also posting unprecedented highs. A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Restrictions on outdoor work were imposed in parts of Italy, beaches in southwest France filled earlier than usual and
RSS