United Kingdom has announced plans to restrict children under the age of 16 from accessing major social media platforms as part of efforts to protect young people from harmful online content.
Gatekeepers News reports that Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled the measure on Monday, saying the government was acting to shield children from content that can negatively affect their wellbeing and mental health.
Speaking as a father of two, Starmer said he understands the concerns many parents have about the impact of social media on young people.
“But I ask the question now: do we truly believe that social media creates a happy environment for our children? Do we truly believe that it’s a place where they can feel safe?” Starmer said.
“I don’t think I even need to answer those questions, do I. Every parent can see it with their own eyes.”
The British leader argued that social media platforms often expose children to bullying, abuse and harmful content designed to maximise user engagement.
“Social media is making children unhappy. It’s making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health. Exposing them to content that is dangerous because that’s what grabs the attention. It’s designed to be addictive,” he said.
Under the proposed law, children under 16 will be barred from accessing platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. However, messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal will not be affected.
The restrictions will also limit young users’ ability to interact with strangers on platforms outside the ban, including gaming applications, while live-streaming features will be restricted.
In a statement, the UK government said:
“Restrictions on these functionalities will also be on by default for under 16- and 17-year-olds to prevent a cliff-edge at 16.”
The government also announced plans to examine additional measures, including overnight curfews and mandatory breaks from infinite scrolling for users under 18.
“The government will also be looking in more detail at overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18-year-olds and will set out more detail in July,” the statement added.
As part of the reforms, “romantic chatbots” will be prohibited for minors, while access to other artificial intelligence chatbots will face tighter controls.
Starmer said he expects the legislation to be passed before Christmas, with enforcement beginning in the spring of next year.
Responsibility for enforcing the restrictions will fall on technology companies rather than children, meaning young people who attempt to bypass the rules will not face penalties.
According to the UK government, nine out of 10 parents support the proposed social media restrictions. A separate YouGov survey also found strong backing for the measure, with 77 per cent of parents in favour.
The move follows growing concerns over the impact of social media on children’s mental health and safety, including several cases in the UK where young people reportedly died after experiencing online harassment and bullying.
The proposed legislation comes months after Australia introduced similar restrictions on children’s access to social media platforms.
