'I'll just stare at a wall': Pupil's hilarious reaction to Keir Starmer's social media ban for under-16s

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:28, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 15:35, 15 June 2026 A schoolgirl has gone viral after delivering a brutally honest one-line response to Sir Keir Starmer's plans to ban under-16s from social media. The teenager left BBC Breakfast viewers in stitches when she was asked how she would spend her free time if she could no longer access her favourite apps. Without missing a beat, Isabella replied: 'Stare at a wall.' Her deadpan answer quickly spread across social media, with viewers hailing the pupil as an 'icon' and declaring they were 'howling' at her reaction. The exchange came after Sir Keir announced on Monday that under-16s would be banned from accessing social media platforms under plans designed to protect young people's wellbeing and safety online. If approved by Parliament, the restrictions would come into force by spring 2027. Unveiling the proposals, the Prime Minister said the move would give children more opportunities away from screens. 'That is all any parent wants. They want to know that Britain will be better for their children, that they will get a fair chance.' A schoolgirl has gone viral after delivering a brutally honest one-line response to Sir Keir Starmer's plans to ban under-16s from social media Her deadpan answer quickly spread across social media, with viewers hailing the pupil as an 'icon' and declaring they were 'howling' at her reaction The clip of Isabella immediately took off online, where viewers praised her for the comic timing. One person shared the moment on social media and wrote: 'This diva's got the best reaction to the social media ban x.' While another added: 'Nah let this diva keep her social media.' However, other pupils at Tarleton Academy in Lancashire already operates a strict phone-free policy, requiring pupils to place their devices in locked pouches throughout the school day, were not convinced by the changes. One boy was stunned to discover he had spent 10 hours on his phone in a single day over the weekend. The pupil admitted much of that time had been spent on TikTok, 'scrolling because I'm bored'. Asked how he would cope without social media, he said: 'I'll just have to adapt, maybe go read a book or go outside. 'I'll feel quite disappointed, because I've got nothing else to do throughout the day, so I'll just have to do other things that will be fun.' The crackdown is set to go further than Australia's by taking 'world leading' action on gaming and live-streaming platforms so strangers will not be able to contact children. The restrictions will be required to be switched on by default for children up to 17. And the Government is also looking at potential overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18s. Further action will see so-called AI 'romantic companion' chatbots – designed to simulate sexual relationships or roleplay with users – having to enforce a minimum age of 18, while there will also be age restrictions on AI chatbots more widely. Encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal will not be included in the UK's ban. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.