‘No more children should die’: UK weighs social media ban for under-16s

The UK government is considering new restrictions on children’s access to social media, including a possible ban for under-16s, as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged to take “decisive” action following meetings with families who say online harms contributed to their children’s deaths.The government’s 12-week consultation on children’s social media use closed this week after drawing more than 80,000 responses from parents, campaign groups, charities and young people across Britain.According to the BBC, families who met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Tuesday urged ministers to introduce tougher protections for children online, arguing that existing safeguards have failed to prevent harmful and addictive content from reaching teenagers.Among those attending was Ellen Roome, the mother of 14-year-old Jools Sweeney, who died in 2022 and is believed to have taken part in a dangerous TikTok challenge before his death. Roome has become one of the leading campaigners calling for stricter controls on social media platforms for children.Speaking after the meeting, Roome said she remained sceptical about whether the government would go far enough.“I think we’ve heard it so many times before,” she was quoted as saying by the BBC, adding that she would only be convinced once meaningful action was introduced.Another parent at the meeting said families wanted to ensure “no more children die as a result of online harm”.As per BBC, ministers are considering measures including stronger age-verification checks, limits on addictive app features, and a possible ban on social media access for under-16s, similar to restrictions introduced in Australia.The consultation is also examining other restrictions, including mandatory night-time app curfews and limits on features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay videos and personalised algorithms.Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the government was committed to acting but wanted to ensure any new rules were effective and enforceable.“The question isn’t whether we’re going to act — we will,” Kendall told the BBC.Former health secretary Wes Streeting also backed tougher measures, comparing social media companies to tobacco firms and accusing major technology platforms of designing addictive systems targeted at children.“They know the product they’re designing is addictive, they know it is harmful,” Streeting said during an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.Campaigners and experts remain divided over whether a blanket ban would be effective. Some child safety groups have argued that stronger enforcement of existing online safety laws and tighter regulation of harmful platform features could offer better protection than outright restrictions.The government is expected to publish its formal response to the consultation later this summer, with new online safety measures for children likely to be introduced before the end of 2026.