As a parent – and a Conservative – I know that banning social media for under-16s is the right thing to do | Kemi Badenoch

The Guardian OpinionEditor

January 22, 2026 | 12:01 AM•1 min read

Originally published on The Guardian Opinion

As a parent – and a Conservative – I know that banning social media for under-16s is the right thing to do | Kemi Badenoch

Britain’s parents know that this content is harming their children. It’s vital to put young people’s mental health first

Kemi Badenoch is the leader of the Conservative party
Badenoch tells Starmer to ‘just get on’ with under-16s social media ban

The Conservative party believes in freedom. We believe people should be able to make choices about their own lives. That they, not the state, should decide what they do. But freedom is not a given. It depends on something more fundamental: the ability to make good choices in the first place. And that ability is not fully formed in children.

For too long, Britain has treated childhood as an afterthought. We know that a child’s early years shape the trajectory of their entire life. Yet our political system has too often focused more on repairing damage in adulthood rather than preventing it early on. That is a dereliction of our duty as politicians.

Kemi Badenoch is the leader of the Conservative party and MP for North West Essex