“This House would ban social media for under-sixteens”

Following the lead of Australia and other OECD nations, then-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced his intention to ban many social media sites for under-sixteens. With his successor Andy Burnham pledging to roll out the ban in spring 2027 with cross-party support, the Union will debate the policy’s merits and drawbacks. Is a social media ban for under-sixteens sound policy to protect British children, or an ineffective solution and infringement on our freedoms?