UK Government will ‘impose some form’ of social media restrictions for children

Restrictions on social media use for under-16s will be put in place, UK ministers have confirmed, but they have stopped short of legislating for a blanket ban.

Changes agreed to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill on Monday hands ministers the power to implement a ban in the future but does not include a timetable.

The bill has been stuck in the House of Lords as peers have tried to push the government to go further.

Some campaigners have been calling for an Australia-style blanket ban in a bid to protect children from social media harms, but others have questioned the effectiveness of such a move.

The UK Government is currently consulting on a range of measures to protect children online, from curfews and limiting app functionality right up to a full ban.

Junior education minister Olivia Bailey said the government “must” act once that consultation concludes at the end of next month but did not set out specific details.

She told the Commons: “We are clear that under any outcome we will impose some form of age or functionality restrictions for children under 16.

“I can also confirm that consideration of restrictions such as curfews will be in addition not instead of this.”

The Lords backed a ban on access to social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat for children in January, but this was overturned by MPs in March. The bill has been ping-ponging between the Lords and Commons for several weeks as the Houses work towards a solution.

Lord Nash, who led the calls for a ban, thanked the government for the latest amendments. He said: “We will now all turn our attention, together, to making sure this is implemented as soon as possible in the best way to protect our children.”

It has also been welcomed by Ellen Roome, who has been campaigning for improved online protections following the death of her son Jools.

The 14-year-old was found unconscious in his room in April 2022. An inquest into his death concluded he had unintentionally taken his own life.

Roome believes her son’s social media history will provide evidence that Jools had attempted a so-called “blackout challenge”, popular at the time on video platform TikTok. She lodged a challenge with the High Court to request a second inquest which would take into account Jools’ online activity.

Today it had been confirmed neither the senior coroner nor TikTok will oppose the application for a fresh inquest. If it goes ahead, it is the first inquest in the UK to be challenged on the grounds that social media evidence was not examined.

Roome said: “From the beginning, I have said that the original 23-minute inquest did not properly examine Jools’ social media and digital activity. That evidence matters. It matters not just for Jools, but for every child growing up in a world where their lives are shaped online.

“This started as a fight for answers for Jools, but it has become a fight for every family. No parent should be left in my position, desperately searching for answers that social media data may hold. That is why I have driven Jools’ Law, which will require a child’s social media data to be automatically preserved within five days of their death.”