UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that Britain will ban the use of various social media apps by under-16s, effective early next year. This makes it the latest country to impose social media restrictions on teenagers after Australia and Malaysia.
According to Starmer, the main purpose of the ban is to protect children from harmful content and issues of addiction using devices. He added that the UK will not compromise on child safety, and is prepared to confront technology companies that oppose the move.
Although the announcement has been made, details of the restrictions that will be imposed have not been officially announced. But The Sunday Times reports that among the sites that will no longer be accessible to minors are TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Threads, Twitch, Kick and Reddit.
The UK is also considering restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, limits on certain features in video game apps (possibly regarding punch-boxes) and imposing digital curfews to prevent older teenagers from surfing social media late at night.
The measures announced are stricter than those introduced in Australia last year but the government received 116,000 positive responses from parents during a public consultation period. They have many similarities to barriers and guidelines previously introduced in China, which have been criticised by the West as violating human rights.
