UK parliament rejects immediate social media ban for children under-16s, supports flexible regulations

UK Members of Parliament voted against a proposed amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill that would have introduced a blanket ban on social media for children under 16. The proposal would have restricted young people from accessing platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. Australia introduced a similar ban at the end of last year, successfully becoming the first country to impose such restrictions.

Following the ongoing debate in the House of Commons, Education Minister Olivia Bailey urged MPs to reject the proposal and instead support a more flexible regulatory framework. But Bailey said that while many parents and campaign groups support a full ban on social media for under-16s, the government believes a more nuanced approach is necessary.

Under Bailey’s proposal, the UK Science Secretary Liz Kendall. would receive powers to restrict or ban children of certain age groups from accessing social media platforms and artificial intelligence chatbots. Opponents of the ban also argued that the government should prioritize stronger enforcement of existing online safety laws rather than imposing a blanket prohibition.

In this connection, Liberal Democrat education spokesperson Munira Wilson accused the government of overlooking the issue and said: "The government’s failure to ban harmful social media is simply not good enough, and we need the government to confirm that their consultation will not result in yet more delay."