Labour set to announce crackdown on social media for children within weeks

Labour is expected to announce a social media crackdown within weeks as the prime minister, Keir Starmer, on Tuesday said he would act “very, very quickly” despite splits between campaigners and child safety experts on what the new rules should be. New limits on social media access for children could be presented before the Makerfield byelection next month after an avalanche of responses to a public consultation have been analysed with the help of an AI system called Consult and an expert panel led by an eminent paediatrician. The consultation closes on Tuesday. Age limits or changes to allegedly addictive design features – or a combination of both – would then come into force before the end of the year and could affect a wide range of platforms including Instagram , TikTok, YouTube, gaming sites like Roblox and messaging services like Snap. Starmer’s promise to act fast came as his leadership rival, the former health secretary Wes Streeting, on Tuesday accused legislators of being “asleep at the wheel” on tackling social media harms. Streeting also compared the technology to smoking. The prime minister’s spokesperson denied the government has moved too slowly. There are concerns inside government that reforms could be hit by a legal challenge if the consultation process is not properly followed. …