Ian Russell, the father of Molly Russell who died by suicide at age 14 after viewing harmful online content, has condemned the government's plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s as being 'rushed'. Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce the measure on Monday, following Australia's lead, but the move comes less than three weeks after a consultation that gathered over 110,000 responses, including tens of thousands from parents.
Father Expresses Dismay
Mr Russell, who founded the Molly Rose Foundation in his daughter's memory, told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that he was 'quite frankly dismayed' by reports of the impending announcement. He said: 'In opposition, Keir Starmer promised to tighten up the online safety world by regulating better. Early last year, father-to-father, I met with him briefly and he was very concerned, and he promised me he would look into effective solutions to deal with this problem. He seemed concerned. But as we sit here on the verge of this announcement, it seems that he's not kept either of those promises.'
Mr Russell added: 'If he's playing politics, what he's doing is gambling with young people's lives. And I find that deplorable.'
Government Response
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy responded by saying she would 'respectfully disagree with some of what he said', noting that there is 'no one solution to this and there has to be a basket of measures'. She stressed the urgency of the situation: 'There is an urgency to this because young people need help now and we cannot stand aside and not act when we see that very clearly. The tech companies have had more than enough time to get their own house in order, and to be able to create products that keep children safe online. If they're not prepared to do it, they lose the right, frankly, to market their products towards children and I don't think the government should be neutral about that.'
Public Opinion Split
A new poll from the Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank indicates that the public is largely divided on the issue: 44% support a ban, while 39% prefer tighter regulation. However, among parents with children under 16, 54% back a ban compared to 36% who favour stricter regulation. Mr Russell pointed to research from the Molly Rose Foundation, which found that the number of children seeing harmful content online has only slightly decreased since the Online Safety Act was introduced.
Support for Ban
Esther Ghey, whose transgender daughter Brianna was murdered in 2023, has also called for a ban. She told Metro: 'This really calls for strong leadership from Keir Starmer. We are talking about people in this country that he is in charge of. We are talking about children. This is such an opportunity for him to really lead on this. The longer we delay, the more children's lives will be lost and the more families will be joining the group we are part of.'
Political Pressure
The government has faced mounting pressure to block social media for under-16s since Australia enforced its ban in December 2025. Peers in the House of Lords have voted twice to include the measure in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, leading to a compromise where ministers promised 'some form of age or functionality restrictions'. Reports suggest the UK may follow Australia's model, allowing access to curated sites like YouTube Kids while blocking others.
