UK announces ban on social media for under-16 children

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), Keir Starmer, has announced a total ban on social media for children under 16.

Starmer said this on Monday during a press conference at Downing Street in central London, where he disclosed how social media platforms were making children unhappy and exposing them to danger.

“The government will ban access to social media for all children under the age of 16. These platforms are exposing them to content that is dangerous and designed to be addictive.

“The government will ban platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X, but not messaging services such as WhatsApp.”

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He added that he hoped to pass the regulation by late December and the ban to come into effect in spring next year.

The prime minister also said the government would go further by taking world-leading action on gaming services and live-streaming platforms.

According to a statement, the UK government to consider overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for children under 18 and will announce more details in July. Starmer said the upcoming ban was influenced by the experience of people under 16 with social media.

The announcement follows a government-led consultation where British teenagers trialled social media bans and time limits on apps.

A spokesperson for YouTube responded with a warning that such a blanket ban would push children towards what he called “less safe services”.

According to Starmer, the government was “taking action” on gaming services and live-streaming platforms that allow strangers to contact children.

“Is there a situation in the offline world where you would just let your child pair up with a stranger? An adult that you don’t know about? No. So we’re taking action on that,” he said, without giving details.

Last week, Canada’s culture minister introduced legislation that would ban children under 16 from having social media accounts and require AI chatbot services to restrict the production of harmful content.

Meanwhile, the proposed Digital Safety Act makes Canada the latest in a number of countries that are cracking down on social media platforms over concerns of harm to children.

The UK announcement comes a week after the government said tech giants must stop children in Britain from being able to send and receive nude images on their devices.

Britain’s interior ministry said it was giving companies, including Apple and Google, three months to introduce safety features to block children from taking and accessing naked photos on phones and tablets.