US EditionUK to Consult on Social Media Ban for Under 16s
Consultation explores banning social media for under-16s, tougher school phone rules, and app age ratings amid growing concerns over online harms to children.
- On Tuesday, the UK government launched a consultation on banning social media for under-16s and tightening school phone oversight, with Technology Secretary Liz Kendall saying it will seek views from parents, young people and civil society during a swift three-month process.
- Pressure has mounted from lawmakers and families as more than 60 Labour MPs backed a ban and Esther Ghey urged action, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Baroness Benjamin supporting it.
- Among the measures are film-style age ratings, tougher age checks, limiting features like `streaks` and `infinite scrolling`, and an amendment would require social media companies to block under-16s within a year.
- Ofsted will be empowered to check schools' phone policies as ministers expect schools to be 'phone-free by default,' while Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government will tighten guidance and enforcement.
- Experts caution that Australia’s December 2025 under-16 social media ban is the first worldwide, with NSPCC, Childnet, and the Molly Rose Foundation warning it risks shifting threats elsewhere online.
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30 Articles
I research the harm that can come to teenagers on social media. I don’t support a ban
Rawpixel.com/ShutterstockThe UK government has launched a consultation on introducing an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s. The proposal is framed as a bold response to rising concerns about young people’s mental health, online abuse and exposure to harmful content. At first glance, a ban sounds straightforward: keep children away from platforms that can cause harm. But as someone who has spent years researching young people’s d…
British Minister of Technology Liz Kendall announced that the government will launch a consultation on access for young people to social media, taking into account measures that include increasing the age gap...
Under-16S Social Media Ban and Overnight Curfews to Be Considered – Liz Kendall
Overnight curfews and breaks to prevent “doom-scrolling” will form part of the Government’s consultation on social media for children, which will also consider an Australian-style ban for under-16s. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she is “determined” to give children the childhood they deserve, as she set out plans to consult on proposals to raise the digital age of consent and restrict potentially addictive app design features. There have…
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