The United Kingdom to ban media for minors!
Social media for minors under 16!
London, Jun 15 (EFE).-
The United Kingdom will ban social media for children under 16 years and put restrictions on strangers communicating with children, among other measures, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday.
The government’s measure, aimed at protecting children from online dangers, follows the one taken in 2025 by Australia, the first country in the world to introduce such a ban.
The platforms that are expected, in principle, to be affected by the measures are the same 10 as in Australia: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X, Threads, Snapchat, Twitch, and Kick.
In an announcement at a Downing Street press conference, Starmer said the ban was a “big moment” for the UK and assured that it was the “right choice” and that “most parents will welcome this action.”
The leader admitted that the decision was not taken lightly but that parents’ concerns about minors’ access to these networks were taken into account.
“I come to it as a parent myself. I know exactly the fears that we all feel when we’re thinking about this issue. You know, all I’ve ever wanted for my own children, hand on heart, is for them to be happy and for them to be safe. And I think that’s what any parent wants,” Starmer said.
“I don’t think I even need to answer those questions, do I? Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy,” he added.
The prime minister admitted that the measure won’t be easy since some tech companies want to make people believe that social media is “unchangeable, part of an almost natural order.”
“But we have to resist that kind of learned helplessness. We have agency, we can change it, and we will,” he said.
The measure, which must be approved by Parliament, where Starmer’s Labour Party holds an absolute majority in the House of Commons (lower house), was decided just months after the conclusion of a public consultation on the ban, which received more than 100,000 responses, including from parents and young people.
According to the consultation, 90 percent of responding parents supported a minimum age of 16 to access social media, citing concerns that the risks outweigh the benefits. EFE
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