𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Kemi Badenoch said a Conservative government would ban under-16s from social media in order to stop children spending hours on “addictive” sites. The Tory leader vowed to introduce age limits for social media apps should her party win the next general election.

She argued children should not be abandoned to the “wild west” of the internet and called for greater protection for children. The mother-of-three told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that platforms were profiting from children’s “anxiety” and “distraction” and were “designed to be addictive”.

The Conservatives said tech firms, such as TikTok and Snapchat, would be required to use age checks that do not rely on government digital ID.

It comes after teachers’ union the NASUWT said the Government should bring in legislation that would make big tech platforms prevent children from accessing their platforms. In Australia, a social media ban for under-16s came into force in December.

Mrs Badenoch said: “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.”

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.”

The NASUWT surveyed 5,800 teacher members in 2025 and found that about four in five (81%) reported an increase in the number of pupils exhibiting violent and abusive behaviour.

Nearly three in five (59%) of respondents to the same survey said they believed social media was one of the driving factors behind deteriorating behaviour. In a separate poll of 300 members, the NASUWT found 89% said they would support a statutory social media ban for under-16s.

Lord Nash, former Schools Minister, said: “I strongly welcome Kemi Badenoch’s bold move to put children first. Raising the age limit for social media now has backing from across the political spectrum, including Labour and Liberal Democrat parliamentarians, the NEU and the NASUWT.

“The evidence is overwhelming and the political support is there. The Government should back my amendment and begin to reverse catastrophic harm to a generation of children.”

A Government spokesperson said: “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.”