UK Mulls Banning Social Media For Children Under 16 After Australia

London: The United Kingdom (UK) is reportedly considering a ban on social media for children under the age of 16 years amid concerns over social media's impact on children and youths. The UK government’s reported crucial move is second to Australia, which recently planned to introduce a world-first legislation seeking to ban children under 16 years from using social media. Peter Kyle, the UK's Technology Secretary, told foreign media that the idea is still being discussed and that he would do whatever is needed to keep children safe online. He also said that more research will be done to understand how things like smartphones and social media affect young people.Kyle explained that there is no strong, proven evidence yet about the exact impact of social media on children, however, he said that he has told Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, about his goals. Ofcom will have more power under the Online Safety Act (OSA) to make sure companies are protecting children online.The OSA requires companies like Meta, TikTok, and X to take more responsibility for the content on their platforms to protect children from harmful material. If they fail to comply, they could face big fines.Social media companies have already started making changes, like Instagram creating new accounts for teens and Roblox stopping young children from messaging others. However, some critics believe the government hasn't done enough to protect children from social media's negative effects.Iona Silverman, a lawyer, said that banning social media for children is only a small part of a much bigger problem. She believes the government needs to think bigger and act faster than technology companies in order to protect children.The debate around this issue grew stronger after Australia announced its plan to introduce a social media age limit. The law is expected to pass in Parliament by the end of this year, and the age limit will be enforced 12 months later.However, over 140 experts in technology and child welfare signed a letter saying that an age limit might not be the best solution and could be too simple to solve the problem effectively.

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UK Mulls Banning Social Media For Children Under 16 After Australia

The United Kingdom (UK) is reportedly considering a ban on social media for children under the age of 16 years

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