UK Social Media Ban for Teens Could Happen Within Months
The UK has moved significantly closer to banning under-16s from social media after the House of Lords backed an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
The decision on Thursday (22 January) could dramatically speed up the timeline for preventing young teens from using apps like TikTok and Instagram.
Lord Nash’s amendment has effectively bypassed several bureaucratic hurdles.
Without it, campaigners would have faced a lengthy wait for a government consultation, with ministers not scheduled to respond until summer.
However, additional time is likely to be needed for parliamentary votes and tech company preparations.
By inserting the ban into existing legislation, the UK parliament has signalled its intent to vastly increase the speed of the process.
“The longer we delay, the more children we fail,” said the Conservative peer Lord Nash earlier this week.
The bill now returns to the House of Commons, where one Labour MP told Sky News there was “no way” the government could pressure members to vote against it, claiming most favour a ban.
If passed, tech companies would have 12 months to comply and block access.
Many already possess the necessary technology from July’s rules requiring age verification to block under-18s from harmful content.
The same tools are being used in Australia, which recently implemented its own ban for under-16s.
Australian teenagers have reported easily bypassing the technology using ‘workarounds’, but Daniel Stone from Australia’s Centre for Responsible Technology argues this misses the point.
The goal is to establish a social norm that social media requires caution rather than creating an impenetrable barrier.
Whether enforcement proves effective or not, Britain appears poised to follow Australia’s lead within the next year.