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UK Announces Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

UK Announces Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

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Britain is moving forward with a total ban on social‑media apps for children under 16, covering platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, as part of a broader strategy to protect young people’s mental health and reduce exposure to harmful content.

Keir Starmer
Labour Party
1. Teenagers drink before they should, but we do not then say, 'in which case let us abandon any attempt to stop them buying alcohol.'
2. 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.
3. Taken together, these measures will mean a much more comprehensive model than just a blanket ban on social media – one that responds to how children experience harm online, rather than just where it happens.
4. The changes will back parents grappling with the risks for children that come from the online world and help empower them by providing a clear decision on what is safe and age-appropriate for children.
5. I don't think that's controversial. There will always be arguments as to exactly what the limits of that are and what rules should be in place, but I don't see that as a problem.
6. I honestly think that across world leaders, there has always been a recognition that leaders have to take steps to protect children.
7. I've heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them.
8. Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy.
eSafety
1. While there are fewer under-16s with social media accounts than there were four months ago, it is clear significant numbers of children aged under 16 are still on social media.
Anthony Albanese
Australian Labor Party
1. Social media giants operate across borders. By standing together, we can do more to hold them accountable and keep children safe online.
Lisa Nandy
British Culture Ministry
1. It changes the presumption, so that at the age of eight, nine, 10, 11, children aren't presuming that they're going to be in these spaces because all of their friends are, and that quite significantly changes the culture.
Meta
1. To be both effective and easy for parents, any restrictions must be underpinned by an age verification system on devices so people aren't asked to hand over ID to dozens of individual services to prove their age.
2. As we've seen in Australia, bans risk isolating teens from online communities and information, and driving them to unregulated alternatives that lack built-in protections and parental controls.
YouTube
1. YouTube is a vital resource for young people, educators and parents. Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences, and towards anonymous, less safe services.
Snapchat
1. It is vital that the Government now carefully considers the scope of a ban, and how it will define and apply its exclusions.
2. However, because the majority of time spent on Snapchat is in private messaging between friends and family, an outright ban that disconnects teens from those relationships doesn't make them safer – it may simply push them to less safe platforms.
Lynn Perry
Barnardo
1. It is as important as ever that social media companies take responsibility for making their platforms safe and the government and regulators robustly hold them to account. It is not, and has never been, children's job to keep themselves safe.

UK Announces Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

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