Tech firms had 'enough time' says Nandy, ahead of social media announcement

Tech companies have had "more than enough time to get their house in order", Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said ahead of an announcement on Monday by the prime minister on restricting social media for teenagers.

Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, Nandy said that if the firms were "not prepared" to ensure their products were safe "they frankly lose the right to market their products towards children".

The Times has reported that Sir Keir Starmer's announcement will include banning under 16-year-olds from some social media sites and a curfew for older teenagers.

But campaigner Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life after viewing harmful content online, warned that "sledgehammer techniques like bans" would cause more problems.

Russell said he was "dismayed" by reports of a ban and suggested the policy had been "rushed" forward for "a political reason".

"If he's playing politics, what he's doing is gambling with young people's lives - and I find that deplorable."

Nandy said she would not "pre-empt" the prime minister's announcement on Monday but said it was "how, not whether, we better protect children online" adding: "We know there are wider measures that are needed."

She said the "vast majority" of responses to the government's consultation had backed a social media ban for under-16-year-olds.

She acknowledged that a ban in Australia had shown that some young people would be find ways to avoid the restrictions.

However, she argued that "it changes the presumption - so at the ages of 8, 9, 10 and 11, children aren't presuming they are going to be in these spaces because all of their friends are.

"It significantly changes the culture which is why it is something we have seriously considered and the prime minister will have more to say about that tomorrow."

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