Overview
- Sixty-one Labour backbenchers wrote to the prime minister urging an Australia-style model that puts the onus on tech firms to block under‑16s.
- Ian Russell, father of Molly Russell, joined more than 40 charities in arguing that bans are a blunt, non‑evidence‑based response with unintended harms.
- Russell called for rigorous enforcement of existing online safety laws, citing recent regulator pressure that prompted changes to X’s Grok chatbot.
- He told the BBC bereaved families are horrified by political point‑scoring and warned prohibitions could drive children to unregulated forums and increase isolation.
- Australia’s policy is informing UK deliberations, with 4.7 million suspected under‑16 accounts identified and early reporting of teens citing the ban in mental‑health visits, while peers are expected to debate a UK proposal this week.