MPs reject social media ban for under-16s
MPs have rejected proposals for a UK ban on under-16s using social media sites. Australia brought in such a ban in December 2025, and several other countries including Spain, France, Malaysia and Slovenia have been considering similar legislation.
In the UK, Conservative peer and former minister John Nash proposed a change to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools bill that would introduce a ban on under-16s using sites like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. The proposal was backed in the Lords and supported by campaigners, including actor Hugh Grant, but MPs voted by 307 to 173, majority 134, against the proposals. More than a hundred Labour MPs abstained.
The Conservatives had said there was an “emergency” and that legislation should be introduced to protect children. However, critics of the plan included the NSPCC, which warned such a ban could drive teenagers into unregulated corners of the internet. The father of Molly Russell, who took her own life at 14 after viewing harmful content online, also said the government should focus on enforcing existing laws.
However, the prospect of an age limit being introduced in the future is not entirely off the table. Education minister Olivia Bailey said that the government had launched a consultation to “ensure children can grow up with a safer, healthier and more enriching relationship with the online world”. This would include looking at giving the government powers to “restrict or ban children of certain ages from accessing social media services and chatbots”.