Andy Burnham, the Labour Party Prime Minister, is moving forward with a social media ban for users under the age of 16. This policy aims to implement more robust age verification protocols than those introduced by Australia, according to recent reports.
The Times reported late on Thursday that Burnham intends to continue the initiative previously announced by his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer. In June, Starmer had unveiled plans to prohibit social media access for under-16s but resigned a week after making the announcement.
Australia became the first country globally to enact a social media ban for children in December last year. The Australian government recently released its initial findings from a study involving over 4,000 children and families since the ban came into effect.
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Unlike Australia’s requirement for platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s from creating or retaining accounts, the UK government under Burnham is expected to adopt stricter measures.
Rowan Ferguson from the Molly Rose Foundation, an organisation campaigning to protect young people from online harm, urged the UK government to act decisively. He stated: “As these changes currently apply to US users, the UK government must learn from this and seize the chance to reset children’s online safety across all platforms. Andy Burnham has recognised that it is possible to challenge Big Tech to address sources of online harm.”
A government spokesperson commented: “While the matter primarily involves Meta and the US courts, we are closely monitoring developments. The Online Safety Act in the UK obliges platforms to protect users under 18 from harmful content. We are taking further steps to promote the wellbeing of British children and will introduce a social media ban for under-16s next year. Additionally, we are addressing harmful features and addictive functionalities, such as limiting excessive screen time and infinite scrolling.”
This move demonstrates the UK government’s commitment to enhancing online safety for children by implementing stricter regulations than those currently seen internationally.