Mumsnet campaign calls for ban on social media for under-16s

Mumsnet has launched a national advertising campaign using cigarette-style health warnings to call for a ban on social media for under-16s and asks people to email their MPs; the government says it will run a swift consultation and set out plans in the summer.

Mumsnet has started a national advertising campaign that uses cigarette-pack style warnings to press for a ban on social media for under-16s. The posters and online ads make stark health claims about young people’s online use and ask the public to email MPs to demand action. The campaign is part of Mumsnet’s Rage Against the Screen initiative and follows research among its users showing widespread parental concern about social media and children. Organisers and some young people cited experiences they say show harms from online platforms. What is known: - Mumsnet is running a national ad campaign calling for all social media to be banned for children under 16 and asking people to contact their MPs. - The ads present health-related claims about social media and young people; the campaign frames these as harms linked to addictive platform design. - The government says it will hold a swift consultation on measures including age limits, safer design features and the possibility of a ban, and that it will set out plans in the summer. - The children's commissioner and the Royal College of Psychiatrists have commented publicly, with the commissioner warning a ban would not be an immediate guarantee of safety and the college calling for greater regulation and research access to platform data. Summary: The campaign has drawn attention to parental and professional concerns about young people’s experiences online and pressed for a legal response. The immediate procedural step announced by ministers is a consultation on a range of measures, with plans to be published in the summer.