The outright ban on social media use for under-16s has passed in the UK, and it’s the biggest shift in government policy on this issue. Policymakers, witnessing measures taken across the world to protect children, are proposing to ban the platforms with the most following, including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and X.
While plenty of campaigners have aimed to achieve this result, the government has been accused of rushing through a “half-baked policy” which could have the detrimental effect of driving under-16s to unsafe and darker parts of the internet.
Starmer said he met with the families of children who have died as a result of the harmful effects of social media. But while the ban prevents access to their platforms, relying on age verification technology, the real problem raised to policymakers is the content fed by algorithms to vulnerable users and the lack of accountability from Big Tech.
The ban on all platforms will go further to restrict online products such as gaming apps and block strangers communicating with children. Decisive action, supported by 9 in 10 parents, is expected to be brought to Parliament before Christmas.
The government plans to use the same model for a social media ban as Australia, which, 6 months later, still needs to be fully implemented. Ofcom will conduct a study on the effectiveness of age assurance technologies to verify whether someone is over 16.
AI ‘romantic companion’ chatbots will have to enforce a minimum age of 18. Similar intimate functionalities will be restricted for under-18s on AI chatbots more widely.
