Children and youth

UK Launches Consultation on Possible Under-16 Social Media Ban

Should we ban social media for under-16s, or hold tech companies accountable for harmful content instead?

Published JAN 20

UK Launches Consultation on Possible Under-16 Social Media Ban

Story

Above: A 12-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen on Feb. 25, 2024 in Bath. Image credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

The Facts

The U.K. government has announced a consultation to explore options for restricting children's social media access, including a potential ban for under-16s. It will examine raising the digital age of consent from 13 to 16 and limiting addictive features like infinite scrolling and streaks.
GOV.UK
More than 60 Labour MPs have signed a letter calling for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to introduce a minimum age of 16 for social media access. The parliamentarians stated that children are "anxious, unhappy, and unable to focus on learning" due to access to unregulated platforms.
LabourList
Express.co.uk
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said the move is an attempt to copy her party's recent proposal, and added that the consultation was "more dither and delay." Tory peer Lord Nash's proposal on an age limit will be voted on in the House of Lords on Wednesday.
Daily Mail
guardian
BBC News
Esther Ghey, mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, wrote to party leaders supporting a ban, stating her daughter had a social media addiction and desperately wanted to be TikTok famous. She said Brianna also developed an eating disorder and self-harmed due to social media use.
Daily Mirror
ITV
Over 40 child protection charities and online safety groups have issued a statement opposing a blanket ban, warning of "unintended consequences." Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life after viewing harmful content, has said he is skeptical of the ban.
Independent
The Telegraph
The government have also announced that Ofsted will examine schools' mobile phone policies during inspections. National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede called a vote to implement an Australia-style ban in the U.K. “a pivotal moment."
The Sun
Morning Star

Sources Split

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The Spin

Techno-optimist narrative

Banning social media for under-16s is heavy-handed and misses the point entirely. The real problem isn't teenagers using platforms but corporations peddling harmful content without accountability, and any ban just pushes kids toward unregulated corners of the internet while ignoring that older generations spread far more misinformation and conspiracy theories online.

guardian

Thred

Steve Chalke on X

Techno-skeptic narrative

Social media companies have deliberately engineered addiction in children, causing an epidemic of anxiety and depression that teachers and parents can't fight alone. Banning under-16s from these platforms isn't censorship but common sense protection, just like restricting cigarettes — kids themselves admit they wish these apps had never been invented.

The Telegraph