British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would ban social media sites for under-16s and impose restrictions on gaming and live streaming platforms in some of the most far-reaching online restrictions yet globally.
Starmer said on Monday that he would introduce sweeping changes to the regulation of social media to better protect the well-being of children when they are online.
“It’s clear to me that a complete ban is the right choice,” he said, adding that while it wouldn’t be easy, the government had the clout to push back against the power of big tech companies.
Britain has increasingly tightened its approach to tech companies in recent years, urging or forcing them to impose age verification, tweak their algorithms and, most recently, prevent children from circulating nude photos taken on cellphones.
But with growing awareness of the mental health risks of children spending too much time online, Starmer has decided to go ahead after speaking to parents and considering evidence from Australia, which brought in an under-16 ban last year.
Starmer, who is likely to face a leadership challenge in the coming weeks, said people rightly expected action.
Australia leads the way
Australia was the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them in December from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.
Since then, a number of countries have said they are looking to regulate access to social media amid growing concerns over the impact on children’s health and safety.
Britain has consulted teachers, parents and young people on new restrictions, including a possible ban on under-16s, as well as curfews, app time limits and restrictions on what the government has described as addictive design features.
It received more than 116,000 responses from parents, industry and young people. More than 83% of parents who responded said the risks of social media outweighed the benefits, while 90% supported a minimum age of 16 to access social media platforms.
While many parents and politicians support a ban, some psychologists and researchers have said there is no evidence it would work, and a group of schoolchildren in London told Reuters they had a conflicted relationship with the technology.
