UK PM Keir Starmer announces ban on social media for children under 16

London: The United Kingdom has announced a ban on social media for children under the age of 16 years, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.

In a video message posted on X, he said that the decision comes in consultation with thousands of parents after it was seen how social media addiction has impacted several parts of their life, especially their mental health.

"These days, kids have to find their feet in a world that changes so quickly, where technology intrudes into every area of their lives. And we know that harms them. The response from parents in the consultation has been absolutely clear. Thousands of parents say their children are addicted to social media. It can leave them trapped in a cycle of endless scrolling that displaces play, sleep, and time with the family. It can harm their mental health. Parents need our support on this. That is why today the government has decided to ban social media access for children under 16."

Calling it a big step for our country, he said that the government has not rushed into the decision and looked carefully at the evidence along with learning from other countries which are taking similar steps.

"This decision has been resisted and it will face resistance from some of the most powerful companies in the world. But we will take them on and we will win because the need for action could not be any clearer. Social media is making our children unhappy and unsafe," Starmer said.

He highlighted how the decision is the need of the hour and said, "Our children deserve better. They deserve a happy, safe childhood in a stronger, fairer Britain."

UK joins the list of countries which in recent times have proposed and several of them enacted laws concerning the usage of social media among minors.

Earlier in June, a government panel in Japan called for strengthening the responsibilities of social media operators by requiring them to have stricter age verification and restricting some features, in a list of proposed measures to protect underage social media users, Kyodo News reported.

While France has been aiming to fast-track the legal process ensuring a ban on social media use for children under the age of 15, Australia already implanted a blanket-ban on social media for children under 16 years of age, last year. Other countries include Spain and Denmark who are mulling over the decision.