Liz Kendall

Liz Kendall

Labour — Leicester West

Speaking in the House of Commons on 15 June 2026

Debate

Social Media Ban for Under-16s

Contribution

I have to admit that I am not sure whether the hon. Lady is for or against the ban. [Interruption.] She is a Lib Dem, say Members on the Conservative Benches. She asked about the model. In my statement, I said that it is the Australian model. We have learned the lessons, which is why we are focusing on more highly effective age-assurance measures. To be clear, there has to be rigorous enforcement, including of more risky sites. That is what I have talked about wanting Ofcom to do. We have taken powers in the Children Act 1989 to implement the results of this consultation, which includes restrictions on features and functions. One important issue is that if we restrict some features and functions, the companies will come up with others, but the powers in that Act allow us to move more quickly. One thing that has struck me is that we cannot take eight years over this, because technology is changing so fast. I am always happy to talk to Members. Let me finish with the point about the Prime Minister. He believed in having this consultation, because there are different views. It has been a good thing to do, because the result is clear. There is not a rush; this is a deeply thought-through policy programme. I hope that the hon. Lady will rise above party politics and work with us to get it right, but I might be holding my breath.

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