One of the biggest stories circulating in the UK at the moment was (former) Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement on the 15th June of plans to ban social media for under-16s.
Predictably, the proposal has sparked strong reactions. Some have welcomed it as a long-overdue intervention to protect children online. In contrast, others have raised concerns about enforcement, privacy, parental responsibility, and whether young people will simply find ways around the restrictions. These are important questions, and they deserve serious consideration. Critics point out that age restrictions can be difficult to enforce and that many young people may use VPNs or alternative platforms to bypass the rules. Others argue that the focus should be on making platforms safer rather than banning access altogether.
At Naked Truth, our interest in this conversation is not primarily political. It is about children.
For years, we have spoken with young people, parents, educators, and professionals who are concerned about the impact of digital culture on childhood. While social media brings opportunities for connection and creativity, it also exposes children to harmful content at unprecedented levels. One of the most significant concerns is pornography.
Many young people today encounter pornography not through deliberately searching for it, but through social media platforms. X (formerly Twitter) is the platform where the highest percentage of children have seen pornography, through algorithmic recommendations, direct messages, sexualised content, or links shared by peers. The boundaries between mainstream content and explicit material have become increasingly blurred. As a result, children are often exposed to sexual content long before they are emotionally or developmentally prepared to process it.
Whatever the final details of the legislation, it signals a growing recognition that unrestricted access to digital platforms comes with real risks. It acknowledges that childhood deserves protection and that technology companies have a responsibility to create safer online environments but their efforts thus far fall woefully short. We cannot hand off our children’s safety to the tech giants any longer.
As Starmer himself suggested, laws are more than rules; they also reflect the values of a country. This proposal appears to communicate an important principle: that children’s wellbeing should take precedence over unlimited digital access.
At the same time, we should be careful not to view this as a complete solution and that there is still much more to do. Harmful sexual content remains widely accessible online. Questions remain about how age verification will work in practice and whether young people will be able to circumvent restrictions through VPNs or alternative platforms. There is also a need for greater focus on age-gating technologies, platform accountability, and reducing exposure to harmful content for users of all ages.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about this week’s announcement is not the policy itself, but what it represents. When Naked Truth first began raising concerns about pornography and online harms, these conversations were often pushed to the margins. Today, they are increasingly part of mainstream public discussion. Parents, schools, policymakers, researchers, and even technology companies are paying closer attention to the impact of digital culture on young people.
That shift matters.
While there is still much work ahead, this week’s announcement feels like another step in the right direction. Not because it solves the problem, but because it demonstrates a growing willingness to take the problem seriously. And that is where meaningful change often begins.
