Could there be a social media ban for children in the UK?

The UK government, MPs, organisations and public figures are discussing whether there should be stronger rules about children's access to social media - including an Australia-style ban for under-16s.

Some adults say it could protect children's wellbeing, while others worry it might do more harm than good.

The Department of Science, Innovation and Technology will "seek views from parents, young people and civil society" to see if a ban would be effective.

It would also see if better age checks could be brought in by social media firms, which could be forced to remove or limit features designed to keep people using it.

In the summer, the government says it will study look at the information and views it has gathered.

In Australia, new rules started on 10 December 2025 making big social media apps stop children under 16 from having their own accounts. This includes apps like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, X (Twitter) and Twitch.

The rules apply to social media companies, which can be fined a lot of money if they don't take reasonable steps to check ages and remove under‑16 accounts.

The Australian government says the law will protect young people from things like bullying, upsetting content and attention-grabbing features designed to keep you scrolling.

Soon after the rules began, about 4.7 million accounts believed to belong to Australian kids were taken down or restricted.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain is "watching Australia with interest" to see how their new rules work.

Since Australia's ban began, people in the UK have been discussing whether a similar rule should happen here.

More than 60 Labour MPs (Members of Parliament) have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer asking him to back an "Australia-style" ban for under-16s.

They say research and feedback from families show that lots of children are "anxious, unhappy and unable to focus on learning" because of social media and point to other countries that are already taking action.

An amendment - or change - to a new law called the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is set to be debated in the House of Lords, the upper part of the UK's Parliament this week.

This would force social media companies to use strong age checks to stop under-16s from using their services. If the Lords pass it, MPs in the House of Commons could vote on a change to the law.

Sir Keir Starmer has not ruled out a ban, saying "all options are on the table".

In the UK, the Online Safety Act is a law designed to make the internet safer, especially for children. It was introduced by the Conservative party when they were in government and its rules have been brought in in stages since 2024.

Under the law, tech companies must take steps to stop children seeing harmful content and platforms must provide age-appropriate experiences.

If social media companies don't follow the rules, they risk fines, jail time or, in very serious cases, a ban in the UK.

But supporters of a social media ban for under 16s say it doesn't go far enough.

In the open letter to Sir Keir Starmer on Sunday, 61 MPs argued that a ban could reduce the pressure children feel to be constantly online and said: "successive governments" had done "too little to protect young people from... unregulated, addictive social media platforms".

Meanwhile, opposition Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch said she would introduce an under-16s ban if her party won the next election.

In an interview with the BBC last week, she said: "What we are seeing is a lot of children spending so many hours a day on platforms that are profiting from their anxiety, from their distraction, and they are actually designed to be addictive."

Separately, another political party, the Liberal Democrats have suggested introducing film-style age ratings, meaning some social media platforms would be restricted based on the type of content they were showing.

People who oppose a ban argue that social media is not all bad and that removing it might create new problems. Some say that being online can actually help young people feel supported.

While accepting that social media came with risks, UK government Health Secretary Wes Streeting noted that it can also help with "connections and a sense of belonging," meaning that it can allow friendships and support networks to grow.

Children's charities including the NSPCC and Childnet were among 42 individuals and organisations to argue that a ban would be the "wrong solution".

"Though well-intentioned, blanket bans on social media would fail to deliver the improvement in children's safety and wellbeing that they so urgently need," they wrote in a joint statement.

Some opponents also think the ban simply won't work. They argue that many teens would find ways around the rules by using other apps or tools that hide their age.

And UK government Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy raised concerns about whether a ban "pushes children to darker, less‑regulated places on the internet," where harmful content might be harder to control.