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  "path": "/2026/06/14/molly-russells-dad-warns-rushed-social-media-ban-deplorable-28770484/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-14T10:46:58.000Z",
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  "textContent": "To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo\n\nUp Next\n\nPrevious Page\n\nNext Page\n\nThe father of Molly Russell, who took her own life aged 14 after seeing harmful content online, has warned a ban on social media for under-16s is being ‘rushed’ by the government.\n\nSir Keir Starmer is expected to announce tomorrow morning that the UK will follow Australia’s lead and prevent young people from accessing certain social media sites.\n\nIt 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.\n\nIan Russell, who set up the Molly Rose Foundation in his daughter’s honour, said he was ‘quite frankly dismayed’ by reports the government is preparing an announcement.\n\nHe told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: ‘In opposition, Keir Starmer promised to tighten up the online safety world by regulating better.\n\n‘Early last year, father-to-father, I met with him briefly and he was very concerned, and he promised me he would look into effective solutions to deal with this problem.\n\n##  Everything is changing, all the time\n\nCut through political noise and understand how the Westminster chaos actually affects your life with Metro's politics newsletter Alright, Gov? Sign up here.\n\n‘He seemed concerned. But as we sit here on the verge of this announcement, it seems that he’s not kept either of those promises.’\n\nMr Russell added: ‘If he’s playing politics, what he’s doing is gambling with young people’s lives. And I find that deplorable.’\n\nMolly Russell’s death in November 2017 led to the creation of the suicide prevention charity the Molly Rose Foundation (Picture: PA)\n\nReacting to Mr Russell’s comments, Lisa Nandy told the BBC she would ‘respectfully disagree with some of what he said’, adding there is ‘no one solution to this and there has to be a basket of measures’.\n\nThe Culture Secretary said: ‘There is an urgency to this because young people need help now and we cannot stand aside and not act when we see that very clearly.\n\n‘The tech companies have had more than enough time to get their own house in order, and to be able to create products that keep children safe online.\n\n‘If they’re not prepared to do it, they lose the right, frankly, to market their products towards children and I don’t think the government should be neutral about that.’\n\nA new poll for the Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank has found the public is largely split on whether children’s social media use should be tackled with a ban or through tighter regulation.\n\nThe survey showed 44% of the public wanted to see a ban, while 39% said they would prefer regulation.\n\nTech Secretary Liz Kendall will likely be responsible for setting out the ban (Picture: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Shutterstock)\n\nHowever, 54% of parents with a child under 16 said they would back a ban compared to 36% who were in favour of tighter regulation.\n\nMr Russell pointed towards research conducted by the Molly Rose Foundation charity, which focuses on suicide prevention, which suggests that only slightly fewer children were seeing harmful content online after the introduction of the Online Safety Act.\n\nThose arguing in favour of a ban include Esther Ghey, whose transgender teenage daughter Brianna was stabbed to death in February 2023.\n\nShe told **Metro** last month: ‘This really calls for strong leadership from Keir Starmer. We are talking about people in this country that he is in charge of. We are talking about children.\n\n‘This is such an opportunity for him to really lead on this.\n\n‘The longer we delay, the more children’s lives will be lost and the more families will be joining the group we are part of.’\n\nThe government has come under great pressure to block social media for under-16s since shortly after Australia began enforcing its ban in December 2025.\n\nPeers in the House of Lords voted twice to place the measure in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, leading to a compromise where ministers promised ‘some form of age or functionality restrictions’.\n\nRecent reports suggest the government may follow Australia’s lead in allowing under-16s to access some curated social media sites such as YouTube Kids while blocking access to others.\n\n******Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk.******\n\n**For more stories like this,** check our news page.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "Molly Russell’s dad warns ‘rushed’ social media ban would be ‘deplorable’"
}