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UK technology secretary Peter Kyle has said he has no plans to ban children aged under 16 from accessing social media, pivoting away from it being an option “on the table”.
Australia introduced landmark legislation last year to restrict younger teenagers from using sites such as Instagram and TikTok, arguing the platforms were harmful to that age group.
In the wake of Canberra unveiling its “world-leading” proposals, Kyle was asked if the UK would follow suit and told the BBC that “everything is on the table”, and vowed to do “what it takes” to keep children safe online.
He also argued there was a lack of “firm, peer-reviewed evidence” about the impact of smartphone and social media use on young people.
But on Thursday Kyle stressed the educational and communication benefits of social media for young people and said: “I don’t have any plans to ban social media for under-16s.” Online sites could hold particular value for vulnerable children seeking help, he added.
Children used social media “for educational purposes, they use it for communicating with friends, often in a positive way”, he told The Sun.
He continued: “For kids who do have challenges in life, some who want to talk about concerns that they might have — it is also a lifeline. For example, Childline is increasingly using some of these services to get to vulnerable kids who want to talk, so we have to be very careful about it.”
Officials believe the UK’s Online Safety Act, which was passed in 2023 and will come into force this year, will reduce the amount of harmful content children are exposed to on social media.
The online safety regime will force tech companies to set and enforce clear content moderation policies, and will introduce punishments ranging from heavy fines to even jail terms for harmful content.
One aim of the legislation is to prevent under-18s from accessing pornography, so social media sites on which X-rated content continues to proliferate could be forced to ban younger teenagers.
Australia’s legislation does not come into force until November this year. Its impact will be closely watched by governments around the world that are also considering tighter controls. Norway, for example, has suggested raising the minium age for using social media from 13 to 15.
After Kyle signalled that an Australian-style ban could be looked at in Britain, he met with a panel of teenagers in London who complained about the addictiveness of platforms and distressing content on social media but urged him to avoid an outright ban.
