London Mayor Sadiq Khan is poised to throw his weight behind a ban on social media for under-16s, declaring it the “only way to stem the harms we know are happening right now”.
His intervention comes as campaigners, including bereaved parents whose children’s deaths were linked to social media, urge Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to implement an Australia-style prohibition.
The government’s consultation on children’s online experiences, which explored measures such as a ban for under-16s, app curfews, and limits on addictive features, concluded last week.
While Sir Keir has pledged “game-changer” action on the issue, he has yet to commit to a ban for those under 16. However, his Labour Party colleague, Sir Sadiq, who previously suggested monitoring Australia’s ban, is now publicly endorsing such a measure.
In a speech scheduled for Tuesday in the capital, addressing engineers, founders, and investors, London’s mayor is expected to assert that tech firms must demonstrate their services are safe for children or face a ban on availability to under-16s.
He is set to state: “From food to pharmaceuticals, almost every company has to prove that its products are safe before they’re sold. I see no reason why social media firms shouldn’t do the same. Until they can prove that their platforms are safe for kids, a ban is the only way to stem the harms we know are happening right now.”
However, Sir Sadiq will also caution that a ban alone will not resolve all issues, warning: “Rather than just restricting access to social media, we must reimagine it.” He will add: “Londoners deserve platforms which prioritise people, not just profit, where connection does not carry such a heavy cost.”
The mayor will also challenge tech companies to “explain how misogyny spreads like wildfire on their platforms – and publicly set out how they’ll adjust their algorithms to stop it,” adding: “If they refuse to act, then the state must step up.” He will insist that the “era of impunity is over” and that tech firms “must face the consequences” if they fail to protect users.
Alongside these calls, Sir Sadiq will announce a £1 million package of measures aimed at supporting boys and young men across London.
He will warn that online misogyny risks creating “a lost generation of young men”, branding so-called manosphere influencers as “snake oil salesmen who take advantage of young men’s ambition to peddle pound shop misogyny.”
He will highlight that misogynistic content can be “catastrophic for the young men who consume it” and have “terrifying” consequences for women close to them.
Warning of a system “rigged” in favour of harmful online voices, he will claim such voices are not only “allowed to pump out poison” but are also rewarded for it. He will advocate for efforts to engage young men in discussions around “toxic masculinity,” rather than risking them feeling “alienated” and “looking for validation elsewhere.”
The mayor’s office confirmed the £1 million package includes support for vulnerable boys in schools and pupil referral units through the mayor’s violence reduction unit, funding for a new programme for fathers, and placing footballing mentors in communities across the capital.
