Starmer Says UK Will Have to Act to Curb Addictive Social Media Features
Prime minister backs banning algorithms that hook young people as legal and legislative pressure mounts globally
The prime minister's comments represent a significant escalation in the UK's approach to social media regulation, moving beyond content moderation into the mechanics of how platforms are designed to maximise engagement.
Specifically targeted are the algorithmic features that create compulsive usage patterns: infinite scroll, which removes natural stopping points; streaks on apps like Snapchat that pressure daily use; and recommendation algorithms that serve increasingly extreme content to maintain attention.
The education secretary reinforced the message, stating that "things are going to change," suggesting legislation is being actively prepared rather than merely considered.
The timing coincides with mounting global pressure on social media companies. Legal and legislative action against tech platforms for their impact on young people has accelerated across multiple jurisdictions, with Australia already implementing age-based restrictions and the EU tightening its Digital Services Act enforcement.
The Financial Times reports that social media companies have been "put on notice" as the legal landscape shifts decisively against them, with courts and legislators worldwide converging on the view that current self-regulation has failed to protect children and adolescents.
Analysis
Why This Matters
This moves the debate from what content appears on social media to how the platforms themselves are engineered. Banning addictive design features is a fundamentally different approach to regulation — it targets the business model itself.
Background
The UK already passed the Online Safety Act but it focused primarily on content. This new direction would regulate platform design and algorithms, a much harder regulatory challenge but potentially more effective at reducing harm.
Key Perspectives
Tech companies will argue that features like infinite scroll and algorithmic recommendations are core to their products and that banning them amounts to dictating product design. Campaigners counter that these features are deliberately engineered to be addictive and that children cannot meaningfully consent to their use.
What to Watch
What specific legislation emerges, whether it includes meaningful enforcement mechanisms, and how tech companies respond. The key question is whether the UK moves before or after the US, which would significantly affect global platform behaviour.