Consultation on social media ban for under-16s to begin
#social media ban #under-16s #UK consultation #child wellbeing #online safety #age verification #digital addiction #Liz Kendall
📌 Key Takeaways
- UK government launching three-month consultation on social media ban for under-16s
- Multiple measures being considered beyond outright ban, including addictive feature controls and age verification
- Political support for ban with UK Parliament and MPs backing the proposal
- Concerns from experts about potential unintended consequences of a complete ban
📖 Full Retelling
The UK government, led by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, is launching a public consultation on Monday regarding a potential ban on social media for under-16s, aiming to protect children's wellbeing in the digital age amid growing concerns about online harms. The three-month consultation will invite young people, parents, guardians, and various stakeholders to submit comments before the government makes a decision on the proposal. This debate has been intensified by Australia's landmark decision last year to ban children from major platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok. While an outright ban is being considered, the government is also exploring less restrictive interventions such as requiring platforms to disable addictive features like infinite scrolling, implementing mandatory overnight curfews to improve children's sleep, regulating AI chatbot access for minors, and strengthening age verification enforcement. Alongside the consultation, the government will conduct pilot programs testing some of the proposed measures to gather 'real-world evidence' of their effectiveness. The initiative has garnered significant political support, with the House of Lords already voting in favor of a full ban for under-16s, and over 60 Labour MPs joining Conservative and Liberal Democrat colleagues in backing the policy. However, the measure faces opposition from some children's charities and experts who warn it could create 'unintended consequences' and drive children to less moderated platforms. The consultation will close on May 26, with the government expected to respond in the summer, following assessment by an academic panel of the evidence, including from Australia's implementation.
🏷️ Themes
Child protection, Digital regulation, Public health
📚 Related People & Topics
Liz Kendall
British politician (born 1971)
Elizabeth Louise Kendall (born 11 June 1971) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology since 2025, having previously served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2024 to 2025. A member of the Labour Party, she has been the Member o...
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Consultation on social media ban for under-16s to begin 10 minutes ago Share Save Lucy Hooker , Business reporter and Laura Cress , Technology reporter Share Save A public consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s is being launched on Monday, inviting young people and their parents and guardians to submit comments ahead of a government decision on the proposal. The debate over a minimum age for social media use has been fired up by Australia's decision last year to ban children from a range of platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the consultation would help establish how young people could "thrive in an age of rapid technological change". As well as gauging opinion on an outright ban, the government wants the public's views on less dramatic interventions. Those include: Whether platforms should be required to switch off addictive features like infinite scrolling and autoplay Whether mandatory overnight curfews would help children sleep better Whether children should be able to use AI chatbots without restriction How age verification enforcement should be strengthened. Alongside the consultation, pilots will be conducted testing some of the proposed interventions to provide "real-world evidence" of their effectiveness, the government said. "The path to a good life is a great childhood, one full of love, learning and play. That applies just as much to the online world as it does to the real one," said Kendall. "We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having. "This is why we're asking children and parents to take part in this landmark consultation," she said. The government is hoping to prompt a wider public debate on the issue for the duration of the consultation through community events involving MPs, influencers and schools. "Everyone with a ...
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