Keir Starmer Responds to Calls for 'social Media Age of Consent' Following Adolescence Release

The prime minister says more needs to be done to protect young people from the dangers of harmful online content


Sir Keir Starmer has spoken out following calls for a social media age of consent to be introduced in the UK.

Since Adolescence landed on Netflix last month, it's sparked a global conversation around masculinity, misogyny, and the dangers posed to young people by harmful online content.

The harrowing series, which stars Stephen Graham, centres on Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy who, it quickly becomes clear, has become radicalised and pushed to murder his classmate in a frenzied attack.

It's shone a light on the growing numbers of young men and boys being isolated and retreating to a toxic virtual world, where they seek guidance from people disseminating dangerous views, largely aimed at women.

As a result, many parents in the UK have been forced to reevaluate their relationships with their own children and to question what kinds of content their sons and daughters are accessing on social media.


Keir Starmer on calls for 'social media age of consent'

Speaking to LADbible, the prime minister responded to growing support - including from the drama's co-creator Jack Thorne - for an Australia-style age of consent for social media.

The father-of-two said: "We need to look across the piece, and that would include at what age can children access what material.

"I'm slightly cautious about blanket bans all together because I think, particularly my experience of teenage children is, the moment you say you can never, ever look at something, then that's the pretty surest route to make sure that they'll find a way to do it.



Adolescence has made parents question their relationships with their own children (Netflix)

"So we need to think about how we have better control over age appropriate content and accessing at material."

The prime minister was speaking following his announcement that Adolescence would be made freely available to high schools across the UK, to show young people the impact harmful online content can have.

Starmer also told us he felt it was vital a dialogue was opened between adults and young people if we really want to bring about change and protect young women and girls from the hatred spouted on social media and elsewhere.

As a result, Starmer said he felt parents needed to become more social media literate.

He said: "I think it's really important for all parents, and I'm not going to stand here and pretend that we're perfect parents, I don't think anyone would expect that. So, of course, we all need to discuss and learn, and that's why it [Adolescence] again draws us all in.



Sir Keir Starmer told LADbible that he is looking into how to have 'better control over age appropriate content online' (LADbible)

"But it is a reminder that what is available online, some of the content that's available, shouldn't be available, frankly, to young people, to young boys, or in many cases, to anyone.


"So I think it also reinforces to me the sense that we have to look differently at what is actually capable of being accessed and how it's being accessed."

Adolescence is currently available to stream on Netflix.