British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced plans to ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms, saying such services are contributing to poor mental wellbeing and exposing young people to harmful content.
Naijaonpoint understands that Starmer made the announcement on Monday, revealing that the proposed restrictions would cover major platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.
According to him, the government hopes to pass the legislation before the end of the year and bring the ban into effect by spring next year.
The prime minister said social media companies were exposing children to harmful material through platforms designed to keep users engaged for extended periods.
“We will ban access to social media for all children under the age of 16,” Starmer said.
He argued that many of the platforms were “making children unhappy,” exposing them to dangerous content and encouraging addictive behaviour.
However, messaging applications such as WhatsApp will not be affected by the proposed ban.
Starmer said the government was also considering additional measures aimed at protecting young people online.
These include overnight curfews for minors, mandatory breaks in infinite scrolling features and tighter regulations for gaming services and livestreaming platforms.
The government said more details on the proposals would be released in July.
“We’re taking action on gaming services and live streaming platforms that allow strangers to contact children,” Starmer said.
“Is there a situation in the offline world where you would just let your child pair up with a stranger? An adult that you don’t know about? No. So we’re taking action on that.”
The British government said its decision was influenced by Australia, which became the first country to introduce a nationwide social media ban for under-16s in December.
The announcement also followed a government-led consultation in which British teenagers tested social media restrictions and app time limits.
According to the government, the consultation attracted about 116,000 responses, making it the second-largest public consultation in British history.
More than 83 per cent of parents who participated said the risks associated with social media outweighed the benefits, while 91 per cent supported setting the minimum age for social media use at 16.
Reacting to the proposal, YouTube warned that a blanket ban could have unintended consequences.
A spokesperson for the platform argued that such restrictions could drive children towards less regulated and potentially more dangerous online services.
Despite the concerns, the Labour government insisted that technology companies have a responsibility to ensure children are protected online.
The social media proposal comes just a week after the UK government warned major technology firms, including Apple and Google, to introduce safeguards preventing children from sending, receiving or accessing nude images on electronic devices.
Britain’s Interior Ministry said companies had been given three months to implement the necessary safety features or face legislation compelling them to do so.
The government said the measures were aimed at combating online abuse, coercion, sextortion and child exploitation.
It also plans to strengthen restrictions on children’s access to pornography and make it harder for online predators to target minors.
According to data from the Internet Watch Foundation cited by the government, 91 per cent of online child sexual abuse reports recorded in 2024 involved self-generated content created by children themselves.
Britain joins a growing list of countries tightening regulations on children’s access to social media.
