Authored by Ted Newson via AmericanThinker.com,
Outgoing British prime ministers have a tendency to rapidly expand the remit of the state in their final days.
Theresa May tied a Net Zero target into law, Rishi Sunak implemented a generational smoking ban.
Keir Starmer is no exception.
The British state has now outlawed social media usage for those under sixteen.
On June 15, Starmer stood at Downing Street to announce that Britain would ban under-16s from social media, after intense pressure from campaigners. Possibly his last meaningful political action before resigning on June 22. Additionally, the now-departed PM has left the door open to curfews for 16 and 17-year-olds. The country that gave the world the liberal philosophy America's Founders drew on is now imposing digital ID and information bans.
The justification is public safety. A framing that has a habit of expanding well beyond its original scope. Banning under-16s from social media is framed as "giving children back their childhoods"; in reality, it has a much darker undertone.
Not all social media is created equal. Depending on how they’re put to use, these platforms can serve as invaluable educational resources. Excessive social media use, as a substitute for going outside, is the real issue that studies show.
As state education systems become increasingly politicized, social media can give curious minds access to alternative perspectives that will help them make sense of the world for themselves. While recently social media al
