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The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmerannounced this Monday that his Government will restrict access to social networks to those under 16 years of age. He thus joins other European leaders such as Emmanuel Macron or Pedro Sánchez and with the objective of “recovering control of digital governance and social networks so that they are a healthy and democratic space.”
The news has anticipated the results of a national consultation launched in mid-January on the use of mobile phones and social networks by minors. This action was part of a plan to reinforce the Digital Security Law promoted by the Executive.
The project plans to include restrictions on addictive applications, limit the age of access to social networks or ban the use of mobile phones in schools. It also contemplates creating official guides for families and establishing parental controls simplified to improve children’s digital well-being.
In a letter addressed to his followers titled ‘Giving children room to grow’, Starmer details to readers the measures that his Government plans to implement to protect childhood of misuse of technology.
“As a father of two teenagers, I know that children’s access to social networks is at the center of concerns of many families” he writes. “We all say we would do anything for our children. “That’s why I think it’s good that the Government helps in this matter.”
The measure is announced at a time of serious crisis in the Executive and after the recent resignation of Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeneyas a consequence of the appointment of Peter Mandelson, linked to the Epstein caseas ambassador to the United States.
McSweeney’s departure was followed by the resignations of two other relevant cabinet members. The crisis has caused a reaction among Labor. Some members of the most progressive wing of the party have denounced the lukewarmness of the prime minister who represents the most moderate sector.
Analysts see Starmer’s announcement as a move to demonstrate to parliamentarians most critical of his work that he is prepared to take decisive action on fundamental policies for the country.
“The question is not whether we are going to do something, but what we are going to do,” declared a government source at a moment of great uncertainty about the future of the prime minister.
The pioneer leaders
The French president, Emmanuel Macronwas the first European leader to announce measures of this type: at the end of January, the National Assembly debated and approved the bill to prohibit social networks for minors under 15 years of age.
Macron intends to speed up the process of the new law coming into force: the text must now go to the Senate under urgent procedure, with the intention of the ban entering into force in September of this year.
Macron’s announcement was followed on February 3 by Pedro Sánchez’s intervention at the annual meeting of the World Governments Summit. The socialist leader took the opportunity to declare that “Spain will prohibit access to social networks for those under 16 years of age.”
He anticipated that the platforms’ executives “will be legally responsible” for the “infractions produced on their websites.” He also warned that AI manipulation of illegal content will be a crime and declared that the Government will launch a system to track the “footprint of hate and polarization.”
Europe moves. The initiatives of Macron and Sánchez are joined by a proposal from German Social Democratic Party (SPD) which has joined its conservative coalition partners to promote a ban on access to social networks for minors under 14 years of age.