BBC Breakfast viewers have hailed the 'legendary' moment a teenager hit back at Sir Keir Starmer after his social media ban for children under 16. Earlier today, the Prime Minister confirmed that the government will block all children under 16 from accessing social media. Speaking at a press conference where he was applauded and cheered, Starmer said the ban will be passed in Parliament before Christmas and come into force at the beginning of 2027.
However, during a BBC News segment from this morning, one teenager has gone viral after making a witty remark that she'll now fill her time by 'staring at a wall'. Journalist Fiona Lamdin was seen speaking to presenters Jon Kay and Sally Nugent as she interviewed a group of students live from a school in Tarleton, Lancashire.
She began by saying: 'I'm just outside Preston at Tarleton Academy, as I arrived this morning, I watched the pupils. These pupils are from year seven to year nine so aged 11-14. Like many schools across the country, they put their phone in a pouch which is then locked, a magnetic lock and they cannot then get to that throughout the whole school day. This school is completely phone-free. I have to say, we have asked with the permission of the head for the pupils to get their phones out this morning so we can get their screen time.'
Fiona asked various students what their screen time was from the weekend. Schoolgirl Isabella then shared her disappointment over the proposed ban, as she said: 'I didn't think it would actually happen, I kind of thought he would chicken out of it and give it more time or more consideration but he seems pretty sure of it and I'm not sure if I agree with him.'
Asked what she's most concerned about with not having access to social media, Isabella said she was worried she would not be able to contact her friends, adding that she mainly uses social media to speak to her family. After revealing that her screen time over the weekend was nine hours, Fiona asked Isabella what she would now do with her spare time. Her deadpan response was: 'Stare at a wall.'
The schoolgirl's comments have since gone viral on social media, with one video of her interview receiving 1.8 million views and more than 65,000 likes. Responding to the clip, social media users also found the exchange hilarious, as one user called @btrmasaladosa wrote: 'We're going to get some legendary memes out of this.'
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Cora also added: 'Haha, her response "stare at a wall" is peak Gen Z energy,' as @blixberrie said: 'This diva's got the best reaction to the social media ban.' Meanwhile, @bxns_hyfr asked: 'How's she keeping a straight face saying stare at the wall?'
Starmer's decision to ban social media comes less than three weeks after the end of a consultation that drew more than 110,000 responses, including tens of thousands from parents across the country. BBC Breakfast airs daily from 6am on BBC One and iPlayer.
