The UK could ban under-16s from accessing “high risk” social media apps, according to reports.
The prime minister could announce new measures as early as Monday, which would ban under-16s from receiving or using disappearing messages, chats with adult strangers, and livestreaming, according to The Guardian.
Teenagers under 18 would also reportedly be banned from using romantic or sexual AI chatbots under these regulations following a consultation to keep children safe online.
It comes after technology secretary Liz Kendall said on Thursday big tech firms “had their chance” to self-regulate in response to FOI data obtained by ITV which showed more than 100,000 criminal offences had been linked to the social media app Snapchat since 2021, including multiple counts of rape and assault.
Ms Kendall told ITV: “They’ve had their chance. Time and time and time again, they have had a chance to put this right. The question isn’t if we’re going to act, it’s how.”
She added: “We’ll be coming forward with our proposals imminently … but I think about parents who are crying out for help.
“They want to do the right thing, they want to make sure their children are safe, but it’s really difficult to keep on top of all of these apps. So I think the reason why parents have been so supportive of a ban is because of the simplicity.
“It’s a clear message about expectations.”
A government consultation on online safety for children, which closed on 26 May, received around 120,000 responses, making it the second-largest government consultation in history after a consultation on equal marriage in 2012.
The technology secretary previously said an Australian-style ban on under-16s using social media was “on the table”, along with other options such as curfews or limits on addictive features.
Ministers appear to be leaning towards a ban after 90 per cent of parents who responded to the consultation said they would back one.
Australia banned social media for under 16-year-olds in December last year, which applies to any service that allows users to post material online and socially engage with one or more users. This has meant TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and X have all been banned.
Polling from the Molly Rose Foundation found that the majority of Australia’s children still used restricted social media apps despite the ban. A survey of 1,050 12-15 year-olds found that 53 per cent of previous TikTok users, 53 per cent of YouTube users and 52 per cent of Instagram users still able to access an account on these platforms.
A DSIT spokesperson said: "We don't comment on speculation about future announcements.
"We've been clear we are determined to act quickly, but we will do so in a way that is effective, enforceable and genuinely keeps children safe.
"As we've previously said, we will set out the Government's response imminently, and importantly we already have the powers to act within months rather than years."
