The UK government is reportedly set to unveil plans to ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms within weeks.
Downing Street is said to be revealing the proposals for stricter age restrictions on apps like Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat as part of a consultation aimed at safeguarding children online within weeks, according to The Sunday Times.
The consultation will seek input from parents regarding the appropriate age at which children should be allowed to access social media, with the proposed range set between 13 and 16 years old.
Currently, many platforms permit membership for children as young as 13, including Meta, which recently lowered the minimum age for Whatsapp usage in Europe to 13.
Smartphone Free Childhood criticised this move as an example of “a tech giant putting shareholder profits first and children’s safety second”.
A spokesperson for Meta said: “We give all users options to control who can add them to groups, and the first time you receive a message from an unknown number we give you the option to block and report the account.”
It comes after Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered 16-year-old transgender girl, Brianna Ghey, recently called for a social media ban for under-16s.
In addition to potential social media restrictions, the government is considering banning under-16s from buying smartphones. Under-18s already need parental consent to obtain phone contracts but they can currently buy pay-as-you-go phones.
The proposed changes would restrict this option for under-16s, although parents would still be able to purchase phones for their children.
A Department for Science, Innovation and Technology spokesman said: “We do not comment on speculation. Our commitment to making the UK the safest place for children to be online is unwavering, as evidenced by our world-leading Online Safety Act.”
