Starmer pledges ‘fight’ with social media firms to protect children from ‘addictive’ content

  Sir Keir Starmer has given a round-up of what his government is doing to help families as he visits a school in London.

The prime minister hailed the new school-based nurseries that make “a huge amount of difference” to parents, helping them save money and ensure they can get to work if needed.

Free childcare for the youngest children also means they arrive in reception “ready to learn”, which is “going to be life-changing for many, many children”.

Amid the ongoig war in Iran, the prime minister touted measures to tackle the cost of living, and said he is “really pleased that next week the minimum wage goes up”.

He also noted that prescription charges and rail fares are frozen, and the energy price cap will see energy bills drop until the end of June, despite the current crisis.

“We’re obviously looking at what we can do after that. But it’s some reassurance, I think, for people to know that that’s the position as it is,” Starmer said.

Turning to the topic of the day, the PM hailed the new guidance on screen time for under-5s, which he said is the first of its kind.

“I don’t think parents and carers have had any guidance at all yet about what would be appropriate, what might be best,” he said.

“This isn’t about telling people what to do. It’s about giving some help and guidance.”

The document says there should be no solo screentime for under-2s, just screen-based activities that encourage bonding and conversation. It says screentime should be limited to an hour a day for two- to five-year-olds, and meals and bedtimes should be kept screen-free.

On protecting children on social media, Starmer acknowledged that “some of this will require a fight”.

“If we’re going to do more to protect children, we’re going to have to fight some of the platforms that are putting the material up there, because they’re putting this addictive stuff up there for a reason,” he said.

“They want more children to spend more time online, and we’ve got to fight them and be clear whose side we’re on here.”


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