Under-16s social media ban considered in new government consultation
The Government is consulting on sweeping new measures to protect children online, including a potential ban on social media for under-16s.
The proposals form part of a three-month consultation on children’s digital wellbeing, which will also consider raising the digital age of consent and restricting app features designed to encourage addictive behaviour, often referred to as “doom-scrolling”.
Ministers say the plans are aimed at giving children a safer online environment and improving mental health, as concern grows over the impact of social media on young people.
As part of the proposals, school mobile phone policies will face closer scrutiny, with inspections expected to assess how effectively bans are enforced.
The Government has said there is no place for phones in classrooms, although it has stopped short of announcing a statutory ban.
Speaking to Head Teacher of The John Wallis Academy, Dean Mcbeath he told us this:
"What we saw was over a period of time, children were becoming more isolated. They were talking less in the playground, they were playing less with their friends"
"In in terms of that development of self and community and and being part of something bigger than than than yourself, it was something that we realised as a school."
"We had a really important role to play, so the the initial implementation was to to address that and was to give children the opportunity to spend more time engaged in the now."
The consultation will also explore tougher enforcement of existing age-verification rules and measures to prevent children bypassing protections through the use of VPNs.
Ministers are looking at international examples, including Australia, where a ban on social media for under-16s was introduced last year.
The Government says it will gather evidence from parents, schools and young people before responding in the summer.
Charity campaign group a Smart Phone Free Childhood also spoke to us about the issue, here's what their Kent representative, Fecility Winkes, had to say:
"I think big tech companies have done a really clever job of making parents, you know, worried and scared that that our children are not in a safe world."
"There's no evidential fact that that the world is much more unsafe than it used to be."
"But what we do have is the constant media and news agenda pushing all of the stories which we wouldn't have had that in the past."
However, critics argue the proposals do not go far enough and warn that consultation risks delaying urgent action.
Campaigners say stronger laws are needed to tackle harmful content and the addictive design of social media platforms.
Alongside the consultation, the Government plans to publish screen-time guidance for parents of children aged five to 16, with separate advice for under-fives expected later this year.
The outcome of the consultation could shape future legislation on children’s online safety and the role social media plays in young people’s lives.