What a UK social media ban for under-16s might look like
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised a crackdown on children under 16 using smartphones, with a consultation launching in March to shape new protections based on what parents and young people actually want.
The new proposals are to go beyond just social media bans.
It could result in children being blocked from using VPNs to access pornography, being stopped chatting with AI bots, and being prevented from endless scrolling on platforms.
The government is also closing loopholes that let chatbots create deepfake images – an issue that came to a head earlier this year with Elon Musk’s Grok AI on X.
“Technology is moving really fast, and the law has got to keep up,” Sir Keir said, insisting that no platform would get a free pass on children’s safety. He also added that “we’ve taken the powers to make sure we can act within months, not years”.
Australia’s December ban on social media for younger teens offers a possible blueprint.
Ten major platforms, including TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, all had to lock out under-16s or face fines of up to £26.5m.
The Australian government is using technology, including behaviour analysis and selfie-based age estimation tech, as well as ID documents or bank details, to verify ages.
However, the Australian approach hasn’t been without problems.
Tests showed that some platforms were still letting through under-16s after the ban started.
Tech companies have also warned that it could push kids onto riskier platforms and compromise privacy, while disgruntled teenagers have posted mournful goodbyes before being locked out.
Ministers plan to use the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to change laws quickly as online behaviour shifts.
The end goal is to “protect our children” as they are “a number one priority”. Whether enforcement will actually work remains the big question – one that Australia is still grappling with.