UK to consult on social media ban for children

Liz Kendall told the UK parliament on Tuesday that “the option of banning social media for children under 16” is one of a number of market interventions the UK government is considering. She has promised a “swift” three-month consultation on the proposals, though no consultation paper has yet been published, while her department has confirmed the government will then respond to the consultation this coming summer.

In her statement, Kendall said: “Many people … are strongly in favour of a ban on social media for the under-16s as the best and clearest way forward to protect children and stop acute and chronic online harms.They want action now, but others take a different view, saying that they worry about letting online platforms off the hook and that a ban would simply push harms further underground and, above all, stop children using the positives of social media, such as connecting with like-minded people, finding those who love in the same way and love the same things, and getting peer support and trusted advice.”

“There are clearly risks in all these different approaches, which is why I believe that a proper consultation and promoting a national conversation, especially with the public, is the right and responsible way forward,” she said.

On Wednesday, peers in the House of Lords are due to consider amendments (114-page / 2.7MB PDF) to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill which, if implemented, would compel the government to introduce regulations to prevent under-16s from accessing social media.

Australia became the first country in the world to introduce a ban on children accessing social media platforms. That law came into force last month and imposesuser age assurance requirements on platforms.

Kendall said the UK would “look closely at the experience in Australia” when considering whether to introduce a similar law.

The government is also considering “raising the digital age of consent”, Kendall said, to “stop companies using children’s data without their or their parents’ consent”, among further options for reform it will explore.

Kendall said: “The consultation will include a range of other options too such as whether there should be curfews overnight, breaks to stop excessive use or doom scrolling, how we ensure more rigorous enforcement of existing laws around age verification, and action to address concerns about the use of VPNs to get around important protections.”

One immediate action the government has taken is to make schools in England “phone-free”. While non-statutory in nature, updated guidance it has issued is designed to help institutions “implement a policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime”. Ofsted will be expected to mark schools against their policy during its inspections.