The United Kingdom will ban access to social networks for minors under the age of 16, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday June 15, following in the footsteps of several countries which have already tightened their legislation. “Today, I can announce that the government will ban access to social networks for all children under 16,” declared the head of government, defending an “important step” for the country and families.
“Social media makes children unhappy. They facilitate harassment and abuse,” Keir Starmer said. He said he wanted to pass a law to this effect “before Christmas” so that the ban would come into force “at the beginning of next year, probably around spring”.
At this stage, several countries, including Australia, a pioneer in this area, and Indonesia, have implemented this ban. Canada announced Thursday its intention to do the same, while a bill to this effect is being studied in the French Parliament for those under 15 years old.
Keir Starmer also indicated that his government would take “unprecedented measures on a global scale regarding video game and streaming platforms, where currently strangers can contact any child without any control”.
“How we protect children online is one of the biggest debates of our time,” Keir Starmer said ahead of this speech, according to a Downing Street press release.
Not a miracle solution
This decision comes following a national consultation on the subject. Launched in January, it ended at the end of May and collected around 116,000 contributions, including those from teenagers, making it the second largest in the country’s history, according to Downing Street.
More than 83% of parents responding to this consultation said the risks of social media outweigh its benefits for children, with 91% supporting a minimum age of 16 before platforms can offer their services to minors.
Questioned on the BBC on Sunday, Culture Minister Lisa Nandy acknowledged that the ban on social networks was not “a miracle solution”.
There is a risk that children will “circumvent” the future law, as they can do with current laws prohibiting, for example, the consumption of alcohol, Keir Starmer also said on Monday.
“But we don’t say: Oh look, a teenager managed to drink alcohol, so we might as well not ban the sale of alcohol to children. (…) That would be completely absurd, and I simply do not accept this argument. Laws are rules, but they are also the expression of our values. They shape the social contract,” said the Prime Minister.
Still, the subject divides families and associations. Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly killed herself at 14 after viewing content promoting suicide, has always said he is opposed to a ban. Conversely, Esther Ghey, the mother of transgender teenager Brianna Ghey, whose murder by two teenagers in 2023 sparked a wave of shock in the country, is in favor.
On June 8, the government ordered tech giants like Apple and Google to deploy tools within three months blocking the sending and reception of sexually explicit images by minors, failing which it will legislate to this effect.
