Starmer was also asked by a journalist from The Mirror about comments from Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life in 2017 after viewing harmful content online. Russell has said “sledgehammer techniques like bans” only cause more problems.

Starmer expressed his "highest respect" for Russell, saying he has had the opportunity to talk it through with him "on a number of occasions" including "just a few weeks ago".

Starmer said he recognised Russell's personal experience, including his concerns that a ban avoids pushing providers to ensure content is age appropriate. But he said he believed the ban does "a bit of both".

The policy "bans with clarity", he said, while also including "additional measures" intended to tackle some of the features of concern.

On Russell's suggestion that the policy has been rushed through, Starmer said that he doesn't believe this to be the case, referencing the government consultation. The "sharing of experiences" has been an "important part of it", he added.

After making his statement, the prime minister took questions from the media. Beth Rigby from Sky News asked Keir Starmer if he was concerned about how Donald Trump would react to the social media ban. She also asked whether this ban sets Starmer's legacy and whether there were any circumstances in which he would step down as PM.

Starmer replied that the ban is about "fighting for what we think is right... and protecting children is right". He said he is a "fan of tech and AI" but doesn't accept you can't be pro-tech while also protecting children.

"Innovation is incredible in AI," he said, adding: "Don't tell me it's impossible" for companies to devise ways of protecting children. Tech companies "know very well" that they have a responsibility here, he adds.

On the question about his legacy, he said: "I see this differently". The ban is about more than any one individual, he added, calling it "bigger than some of the usual to and fros of politics".

Ellen Roome - mother to Jools, who died in 2022 - says the ban is "fantastic," and describes the speech as "powerful".

"The devil's gonna be in the detail for how this actually happens, but well done, thank you."

She's asked about how the next generation will be re-educated on social media and how children will stay in touch with each other.

She says it needs to be done both in schools and by parents.

"We've got to educate why this is happening, and the harm that is there.

"If children could understand we don't want you talking to a stranger, you wouldn't go to a playground and talk to a stranger, or get into a stranger's car.

"Just as we educate children in an offline world it's no different, we just need to teach them about online and why this is happening and it's actually doing it to protect them."

Esther Ghey says she was repeatedly told "the horse has already bolted" as she was campaigning for social media regulation.

Her daughter Brianna was killed by two teenagers in 2023. One of the killers said she had become interested in "dark materials" online, including videos of murder and torture.

"I'm so glad now that this announcement has been made", Esther Ghey says of the social media ban.

She adds: "Another thing that I'm really happy about it the government is investing in after-school clubs, because we can't just take things away from children".

She says the ban can "potentially save so many children's lives", but adds there needs to be support in place for children who now can't access social media.

We're bringing you reaction to the ban now from bereaved families who watched the announcement live on BBC Breakfast.

One parent is Mariano Janin. He says he is glad the prime minister listened to their calls for the ban.

He is father to Mia who died at the age of 14 in 2021 after she was a victim to cyber bullying. He has previously said it should be made a specific crime in order to protect children.

He says hearing the announcement made him "emotional" and "speechless".

"I think it's a change in the right direction, it won't be easy, but it will be possible."

He acknowledges that the ban will take time but says it must be effective.

We've just heard from a YouTube spokesperson following Keir Starmer's announcement that under-16s will be banned from using social media, including the video platform.

Here's the statement in full:

"We’ve invested in expert-led, age-appropriate experiences and default protections for teens for over a decade and will continue to do so.

"YouTube is a vital resource for young people, educators and parents, external. Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less safe services."

Image source, Bloomberg via Getty Images

Under-16s will be banned from using social media, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced.

Starmer says social media is making children unhappy, making it easier for bullies to abuse children, and is "designed to be addictive". A ban would give children more time, security, and more freedom to grow up - as well as more opportunities, he adds.

"That is all any parent wants. They want to know that Britain will be better for their children, that they will get a fair chance," the PM says in a speech in Downing Street.

Starmer adds that the government is "not prepared to compromise" on the safety and happiness of children - and that includes in the regulation and enforcement of this ban. He says the government has listened to and learned from countries like Australia, where a similar ban has already been introduced.

The government is also going further with "world-leading action" on gaming services and live streaming platforms, he says.

If passed in parliament, the ban will come into force by spring 2027, he adds.

Here's a bit more from the statement released by the government as Starmer was speaking earlier.

The government says it will go "further than a blanket ban on social media" by blocking "harmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s".

"These restrictions – which together with the ban go further than any other country – will apply to a wider range of online services, including on gaming sites," it says.

"Restrictions on these functionalities will also be on by default for under 16 and 17-year-olds to prevent a cliff-edge at 16. The government will also be looking in more detail at overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18-year-olds and will set out more detail in July."

As Keir Starmer announced that under-16s are to be banned from social media, the government released some additional information about the ban on its website, external.

It says the UK "plans to use the same model for a social media ban as Australia".

Continuing, the statement says: "This would capture user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms. The ban will therefore include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.

"We do not intend for messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to be included in the social media ban."

After the statement from Keir Starmer, BBC Breakfast has been getting the reaction of bereaved families.

Lisa Kenevan says her son Isaac, who died aged 13, has been her "driving force" as she campaigns.

She said she feels the prime minister has been a "human being", who has tried to "actually understand how it's affected everybody".

"Obviously on my personal journey, I've just been fighting for a long, long time," she says, adding she is pleased "to hear him actually have listened, collated information".

While parents "wanted it a lot sooner", Lisa says "the reality is... it's going to take time, it's not going to be perfect". She adds: "We're in a good place now".

Before the prime minister made the social media ban announcement, BBC Breakfast was hearing from a panel of bereaved families and campaigners.

Ellen Roome, mother of Jools, who she believes died after an online challenge, said she really hopes the announcement includes "really strong age verification" for platforms, and that it includes game sites as well. "I think all of us feel a bit wobbly" ahead of the PM's announcement, she says, calling it "so important".

Esther Ghey, mother of murdered teenager Brianna, said this "massive turnaround" was due to the work of campaigners, but also those who filled in the online consultation". She said "parents need support", adding that campaigners have been saying it for "so long" and now have the "backing of parents across England".

Starmer is now taking questions from journalists gathered in Downing Street.

The BBC's Zoe Kleinman asks when the ban will start, how it will work and what he'll do if one of the bigger platforms decides to leave the UK.

Starmer says powers have been taken to ensure the government "can move at speed".

"We hope to pass regulation before Christmas," he says, adding the ban will therefore come into place early next year.

Before moving on to questions Keir Starmer said:

"I want this message to be heard loud and clear. I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen, and why this ban will happen."

Starmer added "it won't be easy" and that some tech companies want people to think things are "unchangeable".

"We have to resist that kind of learned helplessness," he said.

"We have agency", Starmer said, adding that the government "can" and "will" change things.

"Yes it's hard" to legislate for, regulate and enforce but that's why the government "listened to people" and learned from countries like Australia, he says, where a similar ban has already been introduced.

"We're not just bringing forward a ban" but "going further" with "world-leading action" on gaming services and live streaming platforms, Starmer said.

Changes will also tackle platforms which allow strangers to contact any child "unchecked", he added.

"In this world, with this technology, it is hard as a parent to know what to do", Starmer says.

"I think most parents will welcome this", he adds.

But he adds the government still believes it must "harness the power of technology to build a stronger, fairer Britain".

The prime minister is now taking questions from journalists in Downing Street, and we'll bring you a few more lines from his speech in a moment.

Starmer says social media stops children from doing their homework, reading, playing with their friends, and going to bed at a decent hour.

"That may not sound like much, but these are activities that help a child develop into an adult," he says.

"To be honest, I feel for this generation," he adds. Thinking back to his own childhood, Starmer says children didn't have to deal with this type of technology that feeds into daily life.

Starmer continues, adding: "Social media is making children unhappy".

He says platforms are "making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse" children, and says this could be harmful to people's mental health.

It is "designed to be addictive" with features that "lock you in for hours", Starmer adds.

Starmer says a full ban is the right choice and came to the decision as a parent himself.

"All I've ever wanted for my own children, hand on heart, is for them to be happy and for them to be safe, I think that's what any parent wants."

He asks if it can be believed that social media creates a safe environment for children, "I don't think I even need to answer those questions do I?"

Starmer says he is not announcing the ban lightly, and recognises it is not "cost-free, as if social media has brought no benefits to young people".

But government is about choices, he says, and "it's clear to me that a full ban is the right choice".

The prime minister has just announced that under-16s will be banned from social media.

We'll bring you more updates in the next post.