Tech firms had 'enough time' says Nandy, ahead of social media announcement

Tech companies have had "more than enough time to get their house in order", Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said ahead of an announcement on Monday by the prime minister on restricting social media for teenagers.

Nandy told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg if firms were not prepared to ensure their products were safe they "lose the right to market their products towards children".

The Times has reported the announcement will include banning under 16-year-olds from some social media sites and a curfew for older teenagers.

Campaigner Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life after viewing harmful content online, told the programme he was "dismayed" by reports of the ban.

Russell suggested the policy had been "rushed" forward for "a political reason" by Starmer.

"If he's playing politics, what he's doing is gambling with young people's lives - and I find that deplorable," he said.

Nandy said she would not pre-empt Starmer's announcement but said it was "how, not whether, we better protect children online".

She said the vast majority of responses to the government's consultation had backed a social media ban for under-16-year-olds.

She acknowledged the ban in Australia had shown some young people would find ways to avoid restrictions but argued it changed the presumption of using social media at a young age.

"At the ages of 8, 9, 10 and 11, children aren't presuming they are going to be in these spaces because all of their friends are.

"It significantly changes the culture, which is why it is something we have seriously considered, and the prime minister will have more to say about that tomorrow."

She said there was an urgency to the situation as young people needed help now.

"We cannot stand aside and not act when we see that very clearly.

"Tech companies have had more than enough time to get their own house in order and to be able to create products that keep children safe online.

"If they are not prepared to do it, they lose the right frankly to market their products towards children," she said.

Speaking earlier to Sky News, Nandy said: "I don't think banning social media on its own is the silver bullet solution, but I do think Australia has shown very clearly that it has a significant role to play."

Conservative shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge told the same programme there was a problem with making laws on tech because it moves so fast and legislation does not tend to keep up.

However, he said his party believed a social media ban was "the right thing to do".

In March the government launched a public consultation on introducing a ban.

The consultation put forward a number of proposals, including whether platforms should switch off addictive features such as infinite scrolling and auto-play and sought views on whether mandatory overnight curfews could help children sleep better.

Last year Australia banned children from 10 platforms including Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok.

Some children's charities including the Molly Russell Foundation and the NSPCC have opposed introducing a similar measure in the UK.

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