The UK is considering polls from parents regarding an under-16 social media ban.
The British government is seeking the views of parents and children on whether to ban access to social media for under-16s, as well as possible restrictions on gaming platforms and artificial intelligence chatbots.
The decision came in the wake of recent global social media restrictions after governments worldwide tried to limit the impact of social media and gaming on children's mental health and sleep, with parents feeling outpaced by platforms built to maximize the time young users spend online.
Recently the British government announced that hundreds of teenagers will be enlisted to trial social media bans in the coming months with overnight digital curfews and daily screen time limits also tested as part of Keir Starmer’s plan to crack down on the negative effects of smartphone use.
The trials will be part of a three-month consultation launched this week that could lead to an outright ban on social media for under-16s similar to that introduced in Australia. Ministers have said they are ready to toughen laws just six months after the introduction of child protection measures in the Online Safety Act.
“There is growing agreement that more needs to be done,” the government said in a statement announcing what it called “the world’s most ambitious consultation on social media”. It added: “The contributions to this consultation will determine how the government will decide what that looks like.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he wants to introduce new powers to protect children, beyond those in an Online Safety Act, which is only two and a half years old.
The three-month consultation, starting on Monday, will look at measures ranging from a possible minimum age for social media to bans on addictive design features and overnight curfews for under-16s.
"We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having," technology minister Liz Kendall said in a statement.
"This is why we're asking children and parents to take part in this landmark consultation on how young people can thrive in an age of rapid technological change."
The government said it would run pilots with families and teenagers to examine how potential social media restrictions could work in practice.
It will also study whether children should be able to interact with AI chatbots without limits and how age-verification rules should be strengthened.
Britain is separately preparing stricter rules to require tech companies to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours or face fines of up to 10% of global revenue.
Australia was the first country that introduced a ban on social media for under-16s in December, and now other countries, including Britain's, are weighing similar moves for child safety and concerns.