The United Kingdom is considering an Australian-style social media ban for children under 16 years of age, with the country’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, emphasising that “no option is off the table,” as per a Substack post.
The UK government says it would consult parents, young people, and other interested parties about the safe use of technology, even as concerns grow over unregulated social media content causing harm to children.
In addition to consulting parents and young Britons, the consultation process will also look at whether social media companies can implement more robust age checks, and remove or limit features that “drive compulsive use of social media.”
UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told the House of Commons on January 20: “We (the UK government) will bring forward a swift three-month consultation on further measures to keep children safe online.”
Moreover, Starmer says that the UK government will ban mobile phones for children inside classrooms, with Ofsted, the country’s education sector regulator, strictly policing this diktat in schools.
“For the first time, Ofsted inspectors will start checking bans are being properly enforced in schools, as we give our backing to headteachers to take firm action,” Starmer wrote on Substack.
Additionally, Ofsted will give tougher guidance to schools to reduce phone use, including telling staff not to use their devices for personal reasons in front of students.
UK Government Ministers To Visit Australia
UK government ministers are going to visit Australia to study and understand the nation’s approach with respect to their social media ban for under-16 users. For context, Australia became the first country in the world to implement a social media ban for users under 16 years of age last December.
Elsewhere, Starmer says that parents will receive evidence-based advice on how long children in the 5–16 age bracket should spend using mobile phones, tablets, and computer screens. The 63-year-old adds that the UK government will also roll out new guidance for children under five years of age in April this year.
Importantly, Starmer has stressed: “No option is off the table, including looking at what age children should be able to access social media and whether we need restrictions on things such as addictive features like infinite scrolling or streaks in apps.”
These developments come shortly after 60 British lawmakers from the ruling Labour Party wrote to Starmer on Sunday, calling for the rollout of an Australian-style social media ban in the UK.
“Successive governments have done far too little to protect young people from the consequences of unregulated, [and] addictive social media platforms,” they wrote.
“We urge the government to show leadership on this issue by introducing a minimum age for social media access of 16 years old,” the lawmakers added.
UK’s Online Safety Act Not Enough?
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