Wes Streeting joins crusade for internet clampdown 'because social media is like tobacco'

Wes Streeting has joined a deluge of calls for a ban on "unhealthy" social media - despite fears of a "dangerous path" towards a nanny state.

The former Health Secretary claimed large technology companies were avoiding regulations, likening them to the tobacco lobby, as he demanded furhter restrictions on internet usage.

The Government will close a consultation on a ban today, with ministers set to make a decision based on its findings within weeks.

Mr Streeting said last night: "Social media should be treated like tobacco - it’s extremely addictive, bad for our health, and Big Tech is borrowing the Big Tobacco playbook to avoid regulation.

"We’ve got to give our children their childhood back.

"A ban for under-16s must be the start, not the end."

The consultation - titled Growing Up In The Online World - has floated measures including a social media ban for under-16s, app curfews, and limits on "addictive" features.

"We have given the pen to tech moguls to write our future for us," he added. "It's time to take the pen back."

Mr Streeting was one of the biggest advocates for a social media ban within Cabinet before resigning earlier this month in a bid to launch his own leadership challenge against the Prime Minister.

And his smoking comparison came just as the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges told the Government's consultation the same thing.

The group's report - which called for doctors to monitor young people's screen time - included stories of deaths and injuries caused by "replicating acts of extreme pornography", and interests in violence or radicalisation.

A number of bereaved families and campaigners will meet with Sir Keir on Tuesday to urge him to act quickly to crack down on the internet.

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Ellen Roome, who believes her son Jools died while attempting an online challenge aged 14, said: "I, and other families who have lost children to social media, will tell the Prime Minister directly: Social media is a product, and like any other faulty product causing the deaths of children, it should be restricted until the companies responsible have fixed it and proven it is safe.

"We cannot go on with further speculation - we need clarity,"

The Government has trialled some social media restrictions, including a ban, time restrictions, and overnight blocks on 300 young people as part of its consultation.

And despite the consultation not being finished, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has vowed: "The question isn't whether we're going to act - we will."

It has so far received 70,000 submissions from charities, campaign groups, and members of the public who have given their views on social media restrictions.

In April, the Government said it will implement some form of social media restriction regardless of the consultation's outcome.

A coalition of children's organisations, including Girlguiding and the NSPCC, called for a broader overhaul of technology business models and design choices.

The group of 25 organisations called for a ban on targeted advertising and manipulative features, a a ban on personalised services for under 13s, stronger regulation of AI systems, and the creation of an independent online safety commissioner.

Calls for a ban have been almost overwhelming, though free speech campaigners have warned Labour not to act with haste.

Baroness Fox told a conference just weeks ago that calls to ban social media for under-16s are “authoritarian” and driven by “moral panic”.

She warned how banning young people from social media would hand sweeping powers to the state over how people communicate and access information.

A Government spokesman said: "Everyone - especially children and young people - should be able to have a positive, safe experience online.

"That's why we are consulting on a wide range of measures, from restricting social media access to potential app curfews, to ensure we get the balance right and protect young people from harm.

"We are still seeking views from parents, young people and experts before taking our next steps. More than 70,000 people have already engaged, and there is still time for others to share their views before the consultation closes at midnight.

"We are also taking wider action to tackle online harm. Through the Online Safety Act, platforms have to give users more control over the content they see and stronger protections from harmful material."