British leader says ’no option off the table’ as UK considers Australia-style teen social media ban

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LONDON (AP) — The British government says it will consider banning young teenagers from social media as it tightens laws designed to protect children from harmful content and excessive screen time.

The government said it would consult with parents, young people and other interested parties about the safe use of technology amid growing concern that children are being harmed by exposure to unregulated social media content.

“As I have been clear, no option is off the table, including looking at what age children should be able to access social media and whether we need restrictions on things such as addictive features like infinite scrolling or streaks in apps,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on Substack.

As part of their investigation, government ministers will travel to Australia to learn about the country’s recent move that requires major social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X to bar children under 16 from their platforms.

More than 60 lawmakers from Starmer’s center-left Labour Party earlier this week wrote to the prime minister calling on the government to introduce an Australia-style ban in Britain.

“Successive governments have done far too little to protect young people from the consequences of unregulated, addictive social media platforms,” they wrote. “We urge the government to show leadership on this issue by introducing a minimum age for social media access of 16 years old.”

The government said Tuesday that it planned to respond to the public consultation on online safety by this summer.