Nearly 20 years ago, encouraged by the Labour peer Lord Adonis, I joined the revolution to create academy schools in Britain. Ten years later, encouraged this time by the editor of this magazine, I became a minister responsible for academies and free schools.

What hope do we have of turning this country round if we have an entire generation warped by social media?

I did this because I believe that academies – based on the principle that parents know what is best for their children and the state should get out of their way – transform lives.

So why do I now find myself leading the charge in the House of Lords for the state to intervene and raise the age limit for social media to 16? The reason is that the threat to our children – and to our society as a whole – is now so severe that the state has no choice but to step in.

Before discussing a ban, it is worth keeping in mind what our children are being exposed to on their social media feeds every day. One study found that 70 per cent of children had seen real-life violent content online, with only 6 per cent seeking it out.

Algorithms which are designed to reward........

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