British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unveiled a landmark crackdown on social media access for children under 16, barring minors from popular platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook and X.
Messaging applications like WhatsApp and Signal, however, will remain unaffected.
“Social media is making our children unhappy and unsafe,” Starmer declared in a recorded video address. “As a parent, as much as a Prime Minister, I just can’t let that go on anymore.”
The policy follows an extensive national consultation that attracted over 116,000 submissions, with more than 83% of parents concluding that the dangers of social media far outweigh its advantages, while 90% backed 16 as the minimum age threshold.
Legislation is anticipated before Parliament ahead of Christmas, with safeguards expected to take effect next spring. The measures will additionally prohibit livestreaming and unsolicited contact between minors and strangers online.
Britain joins Australia, a trailblazer in enacting such restrictions, though compliance has remained elusive, with 7 in 10 parents reporting that their children still maintain accounts on restricted platforms.
Starmer brushed aside anticipated resistance from tech giants: “We will take them on, and we will win.”
The government has also committed £132.5 million toward sports, arts and nature-based school initiatives as healthier alternatives to excessive screen time.
