Online Safety Minister answers YOUR questions on possible socials ban

You have been asking a lot questions about social media and discussions around whether children should be allowed to use it, and at what age.

This comes after the government announced that it will soon begin a consultation to hear what people think about children's use of mobile phones and social media.

A consultation is a way for the government to collect different opinions before making big decisions.

It comes as different countries around the world are looking at new laws, which they say aim to keep children safer.

UK government's Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan promised that young people's opinions will be "front and centre" when decisions are being made.

Nina caught up with him to put your questions to him.

Kicking us off was 13-year-old Caspar, who thinks the ban should be for under 12's, not under 16's.

Kanishka Narayan started by saying a ban isn't definitely happening, adding that "this is one option for the consultation."

Other ideas could include banning certain elements of social media, screen time limits and curfews.

"There are risks of bullying and spending too much time online," he says, which he says apply to all ages at school, right up to age 16.

Emaan wanted to know what can be done to make social media less addictive.

"One of the things we're looking at is what functionalities we might want to limit on social media," explains Mr Narayan.

This means looking at how easy apps are to use and what it is that makes kids likely to "doom scroll" for hours.

He says the consultation will be looking at the ways in which big companies can make their social media platforms less appealing to young users, in a negative way.

If children and teenagers don't have social media to keep them entertained after school, what are you going to give them instead, Sienna wanted to know.

Kanishka Narayan says he is in touch with the authorities that fund public spaces and parks, and wants to get kids having fun outdoors.

"We can't expect young people to reduce their time online and then not have something more fulfilling to do offline," he says.

As well as the possibility of a social media ban for under-16s, the government wants to hear views on other ideas too.

They include overnight curfews for social networks and also limiting access to AI chatbots such as ChatGPT.

Parents, carers and kids can get involved in the consultation, the minister says.

There is an online survey children can fill out to make sure their opinions are put forward.

"My commitment to young people is your voice will be front and centre when we're making decisions."