Kemi Badenoch calls for digital ‘counter-revolution’ to protect children

Kemi Badenoch has called for a digital “counter-revolution” as she said she found it “tough” to stop using social media.

The Conservatives have called for a complete ban on social media for under-16s, accusing the Government of “dragging its heels” on the issue. Ministers have launched a consultation on a ban, but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has suggested it might not be total, citing concerns from charities that it could “push children to even darker places”. At a press conference alongside bereaved parents of children whose deaths have been connected to social media, Mrs Badenoch said the ban needed to be “cross-party” and should apply to all services where strangers could message children directly. The Conservative Party leader said: “Social media is for adults, it is not for children. “We need to police the age. That is easier than policing the content. Let’s have the freedom for adults. Freedom is not for children.” Mrs Badenoch also suggested that the debate about children and technology would need to go further, encompassing mobile phones and artificial intelligence (AI) in school. She said: “This is just the beginning of what I believe is a counter-revolution about what is going on online. “We’ve had plenty of time now to look at things and study, this should be the beginning of a much wider debate.” Answering questions from reporters, Mrs Badenoch revealed that she had removed YouTube from her home television “because my children just kept watching all sorts of weird junk”, and had banned her nine-year-old son from playing Roblox because of its chat function. She added: “I can see how tough it is for me, an adult, to stop being on social media, because there’s always one more thing, whether it’s on Twitter or doomscrolling on Instagram late at night. “Someone sends you a funny meme, and you don’t just look at that thing. There’s something else that’s coming and before you know it you’re drawn into this world.”

Published: 24/02/2026 by Radio NewsHub