UK may ban social media for children under 16

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is about to announce a social media ban for children under 16, according to multiple reports.

While the government had preceded that She revealed that she is considering options around the banboth of them The Guardian and Financial Times He said Starmer was now ready to reveal the policy in a speech on Monday.

Government sources told The Guardian that the British ban would cover a similar range of social platforms Like AustraliaTikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X, Threads, Snapchat, Twitch, and Kick are blocked for users under 16 years of age.

Other products, such as gaming apps, will not be banned outright, but for their younger users, they will need to remove features such as the ability to chat with strangers. The policy will also prevent users under 18 from accessing romantic and sexual chatbots and seek to prevent late-night scrolling.

The Guardian said the government could use its existing regulatory powers to enforce some aspects of the ban, but new legislation may also be needed.

The United Kingdom is one of A number of countries are following Australia’s lead by considering a ban on the use of social media By children. The UK has already passed Age verification law Which is similarly described as protecting children’s online safety.

This ban comes amid growing debate about it The impact of social media use on adolescents and children – For example, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Guy He called for a ban on social media for teenagers in the UK She said her daughter’s eating regimen and self-harm behavior were “significantly exacerbated by the harmful content she was browsing online.”

At the same time, these bans have been criticized for potentially violating user privacy and isolating children during viewing Unproven benefits for their mental health.

Age verification laws – which, unlike outright bans, have gone into effect in several US states – have also been criticized as threats to online privacy and anonymity. and Verification methods are not completely foolproof.