Will the UK ban social media? ‘The public is ahead of its leaders on this’

What’s the story?

The House of Lords wants a UK ban on social media for the under-16s, and Brits agree.

A YouGov poll in March 2026 showed that 72% of people support the UK following Australia, Greece, France, and more in preventing young people accessing social media.

“This is a classic example of where the public is ahead of legislation, and their own leaders,” says Emily Maitlis.

She says parents feel "a lack of control" where social media is concerned.

“This is not just about seeing stuff as a kid that you don't need to see,” Jon Sopel says.

“It's also a sense of distraction, that people can't focus anymore because they have to be looking at their phones the whole time.”

He says even children’s book publishers are facing a “crisis” because their audience wants to be on their tablets, not turning pages.

“I think it does feel like a form of addiction,” he adds.

“For young people with underdeveloped minds, this is an addictive quality, just like tobacco was.”

Matthew Bergman, a New York lawyer who was part of a successful lawsuit against Meta and YouTube, over mental health damage done by social media to a 20-year-old woman, this week told The News Agents that spending too much time online can result in physiological impacts on young brains, similar to tobacco or drug addiction.

Should we ban social media – or make the tech companies more responsible?

Lewis believes banning social media for under-16s in the UK would achieve one thing: It would make people feel better.

He says the pressure should also be on the tech companies to improve their platforms, and how they target young brains.

“The way these companies monetise our attention is deeply troubling, and problematic,” says Lewis Goodall.

He says efforts would be better spent on asking “antitrust questions” of the big tech companies, and whether they need to be broken up.

“What would be far more effective, and more interesting, would be to look at the power that these companies exercise, not just over children, but over everybody, particularly with regard to the attention economy.

“I don't think a ban is necessarily going to have much effect.”

Should we ban older people too?

Lewis says the focus of all discussions around the dangers of social media is too focused on the young.

“You can make an argument that young people, because they have grown up with this stuff, they're often way more literate in terms of spotting fake news, spotting AI, spotting stories which are wrong and incorrect,” he says.

“That is not true of voters who are much older, who are often more convinced by stuff they see online and just take it in.

“There's plenty of evidence to suggest how digital life has radicalised older voters in all sorts of jurisdictions around the world.”

But while Emily admits she needs to curb her social media use, she doesn’t believe it’s only the boomers on Facebook who are getting radicalised.

“Anyone can go down into their bunker and start reading anti-vaxx stuff – you could be 30 and get taken down,” she says.

“I don't think it's about old people versus young people, I think anyone over the age limit can be an idiot.”

Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents.