‘Social media should be treated like tobacco’: Streeting calls for under-16s ban on certain platforms

Social media companies should be treated like the tobacco industry, Wes Streeting has argued, as he called for a ban on under-16s accessing certain platforms. Speaking publicly about the prospect of a ban for the first time since he left government, the former health secretary said one was needed because large technology companies were trying to dodge regulations. His intervention comes as the government prepares to close its consultation on an age limit for social media platforms, with ministers expected to make a final decision within weeks. Streeting said: “Social media should be treated like tobacco – it’s extremely addictive, bad for our health, and big tech is borrowing the big tobacco playbook to avoid regulation. We’ve got to give our children their childhood back. “A ban for under-16s must be the start, not the end. We have given the pen to tech moguls to write our future for us. It’s time to take the pen back.” Streeting, who quit the government earlier this month in protest against Keir Starmer’s leadership of the country and the Labour party, was known as one of the strongest advocates for a ban within the cabinet. But he encountered resistance from some colleagues over concerns about whether it would force children on to the dark web or would leave them ill-equipped to use the technology when they reached 16. …