The majority of residents in Monmouthshire support the UK Government’s move to ban the use of social media for everyone U16 according to the results of a survey of locals that helped shape the decision.

Monmouthshire MP, Catherine Fookes, published the results of a survey she had launched in May which revealed over 80 per cent of constituents supported a complete ban of social media for U16s. Meanwhile, 63 per cent of local parents were “very concerned” about their children using social media with similar data being fed back to the UK government contributing to Keir Starmer’s decision.

“The first results from my survey are very enlightening and show just how strongly people across Monmouthshire feel about this issue. It is very clear to me that people want action to protect our children online,” Ms Fookes said at the time.

The Prime Minister appeared in Downing Street this morning to announce the move, which sees some teenagers and children completely barred from using platforms such as TikTok, X, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. Perhaps controversially, Youtube will also be off-limits.

A full list has not yet been finalised.

There were cheers and plenty of applause as the news was broadcast live on breakfast television on Monday morning.

The legislation still has to pass through parliament, but the Prime Minister confirmed in his press conference that he hopes to clear this formality before Christmas. The media regulator, Ofcom, has been instructed to carry out a rapid research project to learn most effective ways to verify the age of social media users.

Early critics of the move have suggested tech-savvy children can flout the rules by using a VPN, which makes devices appear as though they are in other countries.

Closer to home, the new Welsh Government has side-stepped the idea of banning smartphones in schools. However, education professionals in Monmouthshire became the first in the UK to unilaterally advise parents against buying smartphones at all for children under the age of 14. The UK Government hopes the legislation will be in force by Spring 2027.