Under-16 social media ban: Plans announced to introduce age limits online

A ban on social media for under-16s is being considered in the UK, where the government is trying to tighten laws on online safety.

Technology Minister Peter Kyle said the measure was “on the table” and warned tech companies to take further action to protect children.

The Minister set out his priorities for online safety regulator Ofcom, which is preparing to implement and enforce laws set out in the Online Safety Act next year.

Social media is being blamed for the increase in children taking their own lives and developing eating disorders due to bullying and exposure to negative body images.

What does the law include?

The law will impose new security duties on social media platforms for the first time; These obligations will require social media platforms to enforce age limits and protect users, especially children, from harmful content.

This will include a crackdown on under-13s accessing age-restricted content.

Companies will have three months from the time the guidance is finalized to conduct risk assessments and make changes to protect users.

Platforms could face fines of up to £18 million from the watchdog if they fail to comply with Online Safety Act rules when they come into force.

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Speaking to the Telegraph newspaper, Kyle suggested the UK would be forced to move to “another level of regulation” if tech companies did not come together to enforce the law.

The Technology Minister has said he will not make further changes to the law until he understands how the Online Safety Act works.

Asked if England could raise the age limit to 16, Kyle told the Telegraph: “Everything is on the table when it comes to keeping young people safe.”

The bill has come under criticism from some groups, with many questioning how the policy would be implemented and whether it would protect children.

Critics have argued that removing children from social media reduces platforms’ incentives to provide safer online environments.

What other countries do this?

Australia has announced a world-first law that will ban children under the age of 16 from accessing platforms such as X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

The government has said it plans to require social media platforms to take action to prevent online harms to users, such as bullying, predatory behavior and algorithms pushing destructive content, as part of proposed changes to Australia’s Online Safety Act.

“The Digital Duty of Care will put the onus on digital platforms to proactively keep Australians safe and better prevent online harm,” Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the measures could become law late next year.

Australia is also trialling an age verification system to help block children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a range of measures that include some of the tightest controls ever implemented by any country.

The Technology Minister has signaled he has already spoken to Australian politicians about the plans.

What’s next?

As the Government prepares to introduce the Act, Kyle has published a statement of strategic priorities for watchdog Ofcom for the first time.

This comes as Ofcom says it must ensure that the concept of “security by design” is followed by platforms from the outset, so that further harm is caught before it occurs, and demands greater transparency from tech companies about what harm is occurring on their platforms.

It also encourages them to create digital worlds that are inclusive and resilient to harm, including disinformation.

Ofcom will also need to ensure it is “agile” in how it regulates the sector, monitoring and tackling emerging potential harms such as artificial intelligence, as well as adopting online security technologies to help improve user safety.

The government said Ofcom should consider each of the stated priorities when implementing the Act and report on what measures it is taking to ensure safer online spaces are delivered.

“Keeping children safe online is a priority for this Government. That’s why today I will be the first secretary of state to exercise the authority to set my strategic priorities,” Kyle said.

He also announced that ministers will launch a research project aimed at helping them understand the impact of smartphones and social media use on children.

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What do charities say?

Ian Russell, chairman of the Molly Rose Foundation, said the new priorities offer some “course correction” for the Online Safety Act and will allow Ofcom to be “bolder”, but warned further reform of the rules was still needed.

The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) was established by Russell and his family in memory of his daughter Molly, who took her own life at the age of 14 in November 2017 after viewing harmful content on social media.

“This announcement outlines a much-needed course correction that is vital to improving online security and preventing new regulation from falling too far short of expectations,” he said.

“But while this raises an important signal for Ofcom to be bolder, it is also clear that we need a new Online Safety Bill to reinforce existing structural deficiencies and focus minds on the importance of harm reduction.”

Maria Neophytou, NSPCC’s director of strategy and information, said the new priorities had “the potential to change the online world for children”.

He added: “Through Childline we hear from young people every day about the range of harms they experience online, including online bullying, access to content that encourages suicide and eating disorders, and the sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

“Technology companies must be transparent about harm occurring on their platforms. They should be disrupting ‘safe havens’ for criminals by tackling covert abuse taking place via private messaging.

“It is true that the government is focused on encouraging innovation and new technology that can detect and eliminate abuse and prevent harm from occurring.”

A spokesman for Ofcom said: “Our commitment to creating a safer life online for children and adults in the UK has never been stronger.

“We welcome the government’s draft statement on strategic priorities for online security, which once completed will help shape this important work.”

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