Previously, we have seen that Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia banned social media usage for children under 16, and now the UK will also be joining this list. Today, during the Downing Street press conference, UK PM Keir Starmer announced that the UK government will ban access to social media for children under the age of 16.
Social media ban for under-16s in the UK
According to the PM, this full ban is the right choice for the children as “social media is making children unhappy, it’s making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could be even harming their mental health.”
The government is seeking to emulate the Australian model with a ban targeting platforms with algorithms like TikTok, Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook, Snapchat, Alphabet’s YouTube and X (formerly known as Twitter), where users can post, but not messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal.
The PM mentioned, “I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen, and that is why this ban will happen.”
The UK government is also taking this step further than Australia, and will also restrict interactions with strangers on the gaming apps. The gaming sites’ restrictions will be active by default for under-16s and 17-year-olds. As per the PM, the legislation is expected to be passed before Christmas this year, and the ban is said to come into force in early 2027, probably in the Spring season.
It is said that social media curfews for children under 18s are also under consideration, but further details on that part will not be published until next month. Meanwhile, intimate functionalities will be restricted for under-18s on AI chatbots more widely in the future.
