The government is considering a social media ban for under 16s, in a bid to protect children from online dangers.
Technology secretary Peter Kyle said in an interview with the BBC that a social media ban for under 16s was “on the table” – although more evidence to support such a move would be needed before a nationwide rollout.
The news comes after Australia’s government announced plans of its own to prevent under 16s from accessing social networks, calling its “world-leading” legislation a sign to parents that “the government has your back”.
When quizzed on whether the UK could follow Australia’s lead, Kyle refused to rule it out, but noted that his primary focus is on the additional powers being added to the Online Safety Act (OSA). These will include demands on tech firms to take more responsibility for the content on their platforms, so children are better protected against content that’s legal but still harmful.
Kyle said his first action would be to ensure Ofcom knows the government expects these powers to be used, and “assertively”. Doing so could result in some eye-watering fines being issued, with companies that don’t comply with the newer, more muscular OSA potentially being hit for billions of pounds.
Change has already been seen, with recent developments including Instagram launching teen accounts and Roblox preventing young children from messaging one another.
Kyle added that such measures, to ensure that safety is “baked in from the outset”, would mean a blanket ban is not required. If those moves do not happen, however, he refused to rule a ban out.
Despite this seeming like a rather seismic move, some insiders feel that a total ban may not quite have the impact some may think. Iona Silverman of law firm Freeths told the BBC that, faced with not being able to use social networks, teenagers would simply find other ways to reach potentially harmful material.
“The government needs to think bigger,” she said. “This is a problem that requires a cultural shift, and also requires legislation to be one step ahead of, rather than behind, technology.”
