Lib Dems call for health warnings on social media apps for under-18s as young people report phone use “as addictive as a drug”

EMBARGO: 22.30 Sunday 21st September

• Liberal Democrat Science and Technology spokesperson Victoria Collins will today set out plans to tackle the addictive algorithms at the heart of social media platforms
• Exclusive research by the party reveals that 80% of parents report negative behaviours in their child due to excessive phone usage, including skipping meals and not sleeping properly
• Proposals for cigarette-style health warnings on social media apps were mooted by Biden and Obama’s US Surgeon General last year

The Liberal Democrats will today call for cigarette-style health warnings on social media apps and a ‘doomscrolling cap’ for young people, as part of a comprehensive new plan to protect under-18s from addictive algorithms on social media.

It comes as new polling commissioned by the party has revealed eight in ten (80%) parents of school-aged children report negative behaviours in their child due to excessive phone usage, including skipping meals (18%), having difficulty sleeping (28%) or reporting physical discomfort such as eye strain or headaches (13%).

In a speech to the party’s Autumn Conference, Liberal Democrat Science and Technology spokesperson Victoria Collins MP will today launch the most ambitious policy plan of any party to protect children from addictive social media platforms and the mental health epidemic they are causing.

The moves include proposals for a “doomscrolling cap” – which would end the ‘infinite scroll’ feature on short-form online platforms for young people, limiting the amount of time for which children are pushed TikTok-style video content to two hours – and health alerts on social media platforms for under-18s.

Similar health warnings were mooted by previous US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who served under Barack Obama and Joe Biden, last year. The proposed health warnings would refer users under 18 to research suggesting that extended exposure to online content is strongly correlated with a higher risk of mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, and sleep disorders, after a certain amount of social media usage.

The calls come after responses by young people surveyed by the Liberal Democrat Science and Technology spokesperson show many feel more needs to be done to change the ease with which addictive short-form online content can be accessed by young people. One sixth former said that social media is “as addictive as a drug, and I feel the negative effects of my addiction to it everyday”. Another simply wrote: “Help, I can’t stop”. 

Separate polling commissioned by the Liberal Democrats also found that 80% of parents of school-aged children reported at least one negative behaviour in their young people because of excessive phone usage. Over one in four (28%) of parents surveyed by polling firm Savanta said their school-aged children had difficulty falling or staying asleep because of excessive phone usage, while a quarter (26%) said their children had avoided responsibilities like household chores in favour of using social media. One in five (21%) had argued with a family member following excessive phone use; 19% had lost interest in hobbies or sports clubs; 18% had skipped meals or eaten poorly; and 14% had neglected personal hygiene, for example not showering, brushing their teeth, or changing their clothes.

On smoking-style health warnings, Victoria Collins is expected to say:

“If we are going to take on this multi billion pound industry we need to be brave. We have long recognised that where online content poses a threat to public health, we need to know. That’s why I’m calling today for addictive social media apps to come with mandatory health warnings for under-18s.

“Just like cigarettes or alcohol, these addictive products carry well-documented risks, especially for young people. The evidence is clear that excessive use of these apps exposes children to mental health issues, to anxiety, sleep disruption and to real harm to attention spans. Don’t they deserve to know that?

“Clear labelling spelling out those health risks wouldn’t stop young people engaging with social media. It wouldn’t stop them engaging with their community, or connecting with friends online. But it would ensure they go into the experience with their eyes open to the risks – and with enough information to make a change.

“When we pick up a pack of cigarettes or a bottle of wine, we expect to be told about the harm those products will pose to our health. So why is social media, the key driver of a crisis in young people’s mental health, any different?”

On a doomscrolling ban, she is expected to say:

“This is a Government that makes noise about online safety but consistently fails to deliver.

"Peter Kyle, until recently the Science Secretary, has mooted time caps or curfews on addictive social apps - but moves on to another department leaving behind a record of failure.

“The Government must finally deliver and introduce a doomscroll ban, that caps the amount of time children can spend on these addictive apps.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Research links young people’s excessive exposure to online content to symptoms of mental ill health including depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation.

Please see polling below. Methodology: Savanta interviewed 611 UK parents of school aged children online between 22nd and 26th August 2025. Data were weighted to be representative of the UK by age, sex, region, and social grade.