The mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey has made a direct plea to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging him to implement a complete ban on social media for children under the age of 16. Esther Ghey's call adds to mounting political pressure ahead of a pivotal parliamentary vote on the issue scheduled for Wednesday.
A Mother's Plea and a Growing Campaign
In a detailed letter sent to the Prime Minister on Monday, Esther Ghey explained how she believes harmful online content severely worsened her daughter's mental health. She described Brianna's social media addiction, which began around age 14, and how it fuelled an eating disorder and self-harm.
"Brianna had a social media addiction and struggled with her mental health from the age of 14," Ghey wrote. "She developed an eating disorder and was self-harming, and all of this was significantly exacerbated by the harmful content she was consuming online."
Esther Ghey joined eight other bereaved families in backing a proposed amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The amendment, tabled by Conservative peer Lord John Nash and co-authored by cross-party peers including Labour's Luciana Berger, seeks to prohibit under-16s from accessing social media platforms within a year of the bill becoming law.
The Tragic Context and Online Dangers
Brianna Ghey, a transgender teenager, was murdered in a brutal attack in Warrington, Cheshire, in 2023 by two fellow teenagers. In the months before her death, her mother observed a disturbing obsession with social media platforms, where Brianna accessed content related to anorexia and self-harm.
"I was constantly having heated conversations with Brianna, who became determined that she wanted to be both TikTok famous and a sex worker," Esther Ghey revealed in her letter. She described living in constant fear about who her daughter was speaking to online and found that spot checks on her phone were ineffective, as Brianna could easily hide her activity.
One of Brianna's killers had also spent time on parts of the dark web viewing sites featuring live abuse, and had previously attempted to poison Brianna by passing off ibuprofen as MDMA.
Political Pressure and the Government's Response
The collective letter from the parents states: "We are allowing an entire generation to have their time, attention, and potential consumed by platforms designed to keep them hooked." Copies were also sent to Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
This intervention coincides with a letter from over 60 Labour MPs, including select committee chairs and former ministers, also calling on the Prime Minister to support a ban. The government is expected to publish a consultation this week on options for improving child online safety, which may include a social media ban.
While Prime Minister Starmer has stated he is "open to the idea," allies express concerns about practical implementation and the risk of driving some children towards the darker corners of the internet. At a press conference on Monday, Starmer said: "I think we need to do more to protect children and that’s why we’re looking at a range of options and saying that no options are off the table." He referenced Australia's recent ban, enacted in December, which he has discussed with the Australian Prime Minister.
The government has not yet confirmed how it will instruct MPs to vote on Lord Nash's amendment, leaving the outcome of Wednesday's crucial vote uncertain.
