British leader says ’no option off the table’ as UK considers Australia-style teen social media ban

LONDON — The British government has said it will consider banning young teenagers’ access to social media as it strengthens laws designed to protect children from harmful content and excessive screen time.

The government said it would consult parents, young people and other interested parties on the safe use of technology, amid growing concern about the harm caused to children by exposure to unregulated content on social media.

“As I have made clear, no options are off the table, including the question of what age children should be able to access social media and whether we need restrictions on things like addictive features like infinite scrolling or in-app streaks,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on Substack.

As part of their investigation, government ministers will travel to Australia to learn about the country’s recent decision that requires major social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X to ban children under 16 from their platforms.

More than 60 lawmakers from Starmer’s center-left Labor Party wrote to the Prime Minister earlier this week calling on the government to introduce an Australia-style ban in Britain.

“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 social media access age of 16. »

The government announced on Tuesday that it plans to respond to the public consultation on online safety by this summer.