UK moves to ban social media access for children under 16

Britain’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer has announced a decision to ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps.

Starmer told a news conference that he will fight back if technology companies resist the move, intended to protect children from harmful content and excessive screen time.

He said he is “not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.

“Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy.”

He added, “I’ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them.”

The move, expected to take effect early next year, makes the U.K. part of a growing global movement to tighten online safety for children.

Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children’s access to social media.

France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.

The U.K. plans to follow the same model for a social media ban as Australia, which last year became the first country to bar under-16s from holding social media accounts.

Platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to exclude children younger than 16 could be punished with multimillion-dollar fines.