UK Government Pledges Under-16 Social Media Restrictions Before Year’s End

The UK government will introduce under-16 social media restrictions before the end of this year, BBC Business reported Sunday, as a major public consultation on the matter formally closed.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed that a government response to the consultation will arrive in the summer. Concrete action, she said, will follow before December.

A Ban Is on the Table

Australia’s outright social media ban for under-16s is among the options the government is actively weighing. The UK consultation, open since March, drew more than 70,000 submissions from charities, campaign groups, and members of the public.

Proposed interventions range widely. Night-time curfews, disabled auto-play features, and the removal of infinite scroll are all under consideration. Strengthened age verification and tighter rules around children’s access to AI chatbots also featured in the review.

Notably, the government is examining platforms not covered by Australia’s law, including Roblox and Discord. Kendall said the scope goes beyond a simple ban, covering a broad range of features and their effects on young users.

Also Read: What Australia’s Social Media Ban Actually Does

Background: Growing Pressure From Families and Doctors

Public pressure has been building for months. Bereaved families, including the mother of Jools Roome, who died aged 14 in 2022, met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday to demand swift age restrictions on platforms deemed harmful.

The UK’s most senior medical body, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, submitted a consultation response comparing social media’s health risks to those of smoking. The group urged doctors to routinely ask younger patients about screen time during appointments.

Police leaders have also backed restrictions, arguing any platform refusing to remove harmful features should be blocked for under-16s entirely.

Also Read: The Science Behind Screen Time and Children’s Mental Health

Industry Pushback Expected, Kendall Unbowed

Not all campaigners support an outright ban. Some child safety charities favor enforcing existing laws rather than new blanket measures. Concerns from Australia show children have found workarounds despite restrictions there.

Meta, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp, has pushed for age verification to be handled at the device level rather than by individual platforms. Kendall was direct when asked whether Big Tech resistance would slow her down. She told BBC Business that nothing would prevent her from doing what she believes is right for the country.

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