The Sir Keir star is considering an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s.
The law, a world-first in Australia, aims to protect young people from the dangers of the internet and applies to platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.
Sir Keir previously said he was “personally” against the blanket ban for teenagers that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese introduced this month.
However, the Telegraph has learned that Downing Street is indeed “closely monitoring” the policy.
The Telegraph understands that Sir Keir and Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, are in talks to introduce similar legislation if Australia’s plan proves effective. However, sources told The Telegraph that a decision was a long way off.
A government spokesman told the Telegraph: “We understand parents’ concerns about the impact of social media on children, so we’ve taken some bold steps globally to ensure online content is truly age-appropriate.
“It is important that we protect children while allowing them to benefit from the digital world safely, without closing essential services or isolating those most vulnerable.
“The Government is closely monitoring Australia’s approach to age restrictions. When it comes to protecting children, nothing is off the table, but any action must be based on strong evidence.”
Streets want ‘radical’ action
Asked about Mr Albanese’s policy after introducing it, Sir Keir said he was “personally” opposed to a “blanket ban” on under-16s using social media.
The Prime Minister said: “I think it’s about how you control the content that children can see.”
But on Sunday, Wes Streeting, the health secretary, called on the government to “think very fundamentally” about online safety because social media “has become a place of bullying, intimidation, sometimes abuse, radicalisation”.
He told The Observer: “I think about how difficult it was to sneak into a 15 or 18-year-old film at the cinema as a teenager. Kids these days have access to the most extreme content.”
Warning that social media has increasingly become “social media”, Mr Streeting added: “So I think what Australia is doing is interesting and we should follow the results closely and see if that’s something we should consider doing here.”
Sources admitted there were conflicting views among experts, with some charities warning against banning social media because it could push children onto unregulated sites.
These include the Molly Rose Foundation, set up after the death of teenager Molly Russell, who saw thousands of images promoting suicide and self-harm on social media.
One source said the government hoped to take a “big picture” approach and welcomed the ongoing debate and would help Australia act as a test case.
Ms Kendall, who replaced Peter Kyle as technology secretary in a September reshuffle, said she would always take an evidence-based approach.
Appearing at a Commons select committee earlier this month, he signaled his opposition to a blanket ban on under-16s owning mobile phones.
Ms Kendall said there was a “really important balance to strike” between helping children deal with the online world while “making sure they’re not exposed to harmful content”.
She continued: “I’m not currently in favor of banning smartphones under the age of 16. It’s good they’re not in school and we need to do more to help kids deal with it.
“I’m worried about chatbots and I’m worried about sleep. If you say, ‘Nothing until you’re 16’, then how are they going to cope? I’m thinking about that.”
Labor MP Fred Thomas, who has campaigned for social media bans for under-16s since entering the Commons last year, said: “I have been calling on the government for some time to ban social media companies from giving accounts to under-16s.
“We all know this is deeply damaging to their development. Every time I speak to teachers, parents and children they agree. Look at the shocking rise in anxiety and mental health problems in children. We need to act like the Australian Labor government.”
