After Australia, UK Also Considering Banning Social Media For Children Under 16

Last Updated:November 20, 2024, 23:08 IST

UK's Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said "everything was on the table" and that he would do "what it takes" to keep people safe online..

Australia is planning a social media ban for children under 16 over concerns over its impact on youth. (File)

Australia recently planned to introduce a world-first legislation seeking to ban children under 16 years from using social media. Now, a similar step is being considered in the United Kingdom amid concerns over its impact on the youth.

UK’s Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told the BBC that such a plan is “on the table", adding that he would do “what it takes" to keep people, particularly children, safe online. He also said additional research would be done into the impact of technology like smartphones and social media on young people.

Kyle said there was currently “no firm, peer-reviewed evidence" on the impact on the youth and that he spelt out his priorities on a “letter of specific intent" to the communications regulator Ofcom, which will assume greater powers under the Online Safety Act (OSA).

Kyle said a potential social media ban “was on the table" but wanted to see more evidence first. He said he wanted to make sure the powers in the OSA were used “assertively" by the regulator. “I just want to make sure that Ofcom knows that the government expects them to be used," he added.

What This Means?

The OSA has demanded tech firms like Meta, TikTok and X take more responsibility for the content on their platforms to protect children from harmful material. Social media platforms could face significant fines if they do not comply with the act.

Ahead of the OSA coming into effect, social media companies have already introduced significant changes – like Instagram creating new teen accounts and Roblox banning young children from messaging others. However, critics have consistently said the government has not done enough to mitigate the harmful effects of social media on children.

Iona Silverman of the law firm Freeths said a possible ban on social media is akin to “a drop in an ocean-sized problem" and expressed concerns over teenagers finding new ways to access problematic material online. “The government needs to think bigger: this is a problem that requires a cultural shift, and also requires legislation to be one step ahead of, rather than behind, technology," she said.

The debate was fuelled with Australia’s potential ban on social media for under-16s, which will be introduced in Parliament during its final two weeks in session this year. The age limit would take effect 12 months after the law is passed, said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

More than 140 Australian and international academics with expertise in fields related to technology and child welfare signed an open letter to Albanese last month opposing a social media age limit as “too blunt an instrument to address risks effectively."

(with agency inputs)

London, United Kingdom (UK)

News world After Australia, UK Also Considering Banning Social Media For Children Under 16