Britain’s Starmer summons US social media companies over online safety
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (pictured) and British Technology Secretary Liz Kendall will meet representatives from the largest US tech companies on April 16.
PHOTO: AFP
LONDON – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet with representatives from the largest US tech companies to discuss ways to keep children safe online, as global appetite to ban social media services for young users grows.
Representatives from Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms, X, TikTok, Google and Snap will meet with Mr Starmer and British Technology Secretary Liz Kendall on April 16 in Downing Street, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
“I will take whatever steps necessary to keep children safe online,” Mr Starmer said in the statement. “The consequences of failing to act are stark.”
Several countries are considering banning social media services for children and younger teenagers, fuelled by parental and regulatory concern that the apps are addicting and encourage online harms such as online sexual harassment and bullying.
Australia was the first to enact a ban in December, with the movement gaining traction in Indonesia, parts of India, France, Spain and many other countries.
The European Union unveiled an age verification app on April 15 that is intended to prevent children from accessing obscene or harmful content online.
British Business Secretary Peter Kyle said on the morning of April 16 that while ministers need to be “open-minded” about a potential ban, it should be a “last resort”.
“There’s a complication, there’s a sophistication and a challenge with social media, because there is good that comes from it as well as bad,” Mr Kyle told Sky News ahead of Mr Starmer’s meeting.
“It’s the balance between the two which should dictate how we move forward, particularly if you move to something like a ban, because if you ban, you’re taking away the good as well.”
While Britain has not committed to an all-out ban on social media services, it is conducting a consultation until May aimed at parents and children on measures such as age limits, restrictions on addictive design features and artificial intelligence chatbot safeguards.
It aims to implement new safety measures quickly following the consultation. Britain does require some services, such as porn sites, to verify users’ ages under the Online Safety Act.
“We’re consulting on whether there should be a ban for under 16s,” Mr Starmer told BBC Radio on April 13. “But I think equally important, the addictive scrolling mechanisms are really problematic to my mind. They need to go.” BLOOMBERG
