Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced there will be a ban on social media platforms from offering services to under-16s from next year.10:54, 15 Jun 2026This Morning star Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley spoke to Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday’s show (June 15) following his announcement on a social media ban for children under 16.‌Starmer confirmed that the upcoming ban will come into effect from Spring 2027 and will include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.‌Although it seems as though the decision has divided the nation, during his conversation with Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, Ben highlighted that it wasn’t too long ago the Prime Minister was against this ban.‌Informing viewers that he’s now changed his mind, the ITV star questioned what Starmer has since experienced to make him have a different outlook.The Prime Minister replied: “Well, I tried to approach this with an open mind. We went through a consultation, which was also a conversation, and we looked at what happened in other countries.‌“I spent quite a lot of time with parents of those who had lost, usually teenage boys and girls, because of social media. I’m absolutely clear that a ban is the right thing."Clear and decisive, under-16s are banned from social media. I think that will come as a huge relief for parents because all parents want their children to be happy and safe.”As the Prime Minister highlighted, alongside the ban, they’re looking into dealing with certain features such as live streaming and engagement with strangers online.‌However, cutting in, Shephard replied: “The thing, though, Prime Minister, is you’re letting the tech firms off.“By dealing with the content and making them take the content down, it wouldn’t be there in the first place.‌“By the time the children turn 16, they can still access adult content, they can still see these harmful images. Why are you not putting more pressure on the tech firms to remove the content?”As Starmer replied there needs to be measures in place for those between 16 and 17, he stated that the measures are to do with live streaming and stranger engagement.Article continues belowShephard also highlighted that there will be ways around under-16s using social media, especially by using VPNs.The Prime Minister shared: “We looked at that, when we were dealing with pornography in under-18s, we looked at that. There was a short spike in people using VPNs in that way, but actually it then dropped off.”This Morning is available to watch on ITV weekdays from 10am