2 h. ago UK social media ban: Government considering Australian style measures to stop 'infinite scrolling'

The Government said it would consult on options including raising the digital age of consent and restricting potentially addictive social media features

Politics

4 h. ago UK ministers launch consultation into whether to ban social media for under

Move comes as peers prepare to vote on an amendment to a bill that would enact a ban within a year of the bill passingMinisters have launched a consultation into whether to ban under-16s from using social media as part of a package of measures designed to curb mobile phone use among young people.Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, announced the consultation on Monday as the government responds to mounting pressure for stricter curbs on social media use for younger teenagers. On Monday afternoon, Esther Ghey, the mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, became the latest high profile figure to add her name to those in support of a ban. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago UK ministers launch consultation on whether to ban social media for under

Move comes as peers prepare to vote on an amendment to a bill that would enact a ban within a year of the bill passingMinisters have launched a consultation into whether to ban under-16s from using social media as part of a package of measures designed to curb mobile phone use among young people.Liz Kendall, the technology secretary, announced the consultation on Monday as the government responds to mounting pressure for stricter curbs on social media use for younger teenagers. On Monday afternoon, Esther Ghey, the mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, became the latest high profile figure to add her name to those in support of a ban. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago Children in UK face social media ban, addictive app restrictions and tough Ofsted phone checks

Keir Starmer is ramping up action to tackle online harms amid mounting pressure to introduce a social media ban for under 16s after Australia did so last month

Politics

8 h. ago TikTok to roll out enhanced age checks as social media ban pressure grows

The platform said its new technology will be able to use ‘on-platform behaviour’ to ‘predict’ whether a user is under 13

Events

8 h. ago 'As a mum and a teacher I saw the harm social media does, now I want to ban it for teens'

'Get children off these addictive apps and into books, playing sport, chatting and enjoying themselves'

Politics

8 h. ago Mother of murdered Brianna Ghey piles fresh pressure on Keir Starmer to back a ban on under

Esther Ghey, whose daughter was killed at the age of 16 by two 15-year-olds, urged the Prime Minister to support the introduction of new restrictions.

Events

9 h. ago Mother of murdered teenager backs social media ban for under

16-year-old Brianna Ghey was murdered by two other teenagers in 2023.

Events

10 h. ago Starmer to consider all options on social media ban for under

The consultation is expected to look at all options for reform including a blanket ban

Politics

14 h. ago Starmer vows to 'do more' to protect children on social media as he faces mounting demands for under

Keir Starmer said 'no options are off the table' after dozens of Labour MPs wrote a letter calling for the UK to emulate Australia's ban on under-16s using sites and apps.

Politics

15 h. ago Mother of teenager 'murdered by serial killer Steve Wright' dies without knowing who killed her daughter

Lorinda Hall, 70, passed away in hospital after waiting a quarter of a century to find out who killed her daughter, Victoria, 17 (pictured). Serial killer Steve Wright, 67, denies the murder.

Events

34 h. ago Molly Russell's father speaks out against social media ban for under

The father of a teenager who took her own life after being bombarded with harmful social media content has spoken out against banning under-16s from the platforms.

Politics

56 h. ago Schoolgirl's tragic note before taking own life is warning on social media ban

Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly died in 2017 due to online harms, has teamed up with more than 40 charities, experts and bereaved parents to oppose a social media ban for teens

Events

3 d. ago Albanese says the social media ban is working, but it is too early to say if it has been successful

As the UK government faces pressure to follow suit, evidence on whether the ban is working is still a while away.More than 4.7m accounts for teens under 16 have been been taken offline by Australia’s social media ban, but that doesn’t mean it’s been successful.As the UK government faces pressure to follow suit, let’s take a closer look at the facts and figures. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago More than 100,000 people urge MPs to ban social media for under

Letters sent using campaign group’s template as Keir Starmer indicates Australia-style move being consideredMPs’ inboxes have been flooded with letters calling for an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s, as the prime minister indicated such a move was being considered.More than 100,000 people have contacted their local MP since the grassroots organisation Smartphone Free Childhood launched an email campaign on Tuesday evening with a template calling for “reasonable, age-appropriate boundaries”. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Elon Musk backs down in Grok sex images war as Starmer threatens to ban X

The richest man in the world made the u-turn after Prime Minister Keir Starmer threatened to ban social media platform X altogether in the UK

Events

4 d. ago More than 4.7m social media accounts blocked after Australia’s under

Accounts removed or restricted on Twitch, Kick, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, Instagram, Snap, X, TikTok and Reddit in world-leading banGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than 4.7m social media accounts held by Australians who platforms have judged to be under 16 years of age were deactivated, removed or restricted in the first days after the ban came into effect in December, the prime minister has said.After the social media ban came into effect on 10 December, the eSafety commissioner sent questions to each of the platforms covered by the ban asking how many accounts had been removed in order to comply with the law. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Can 'embarrassing' Starmer stick to ANY policies? PM 'set for more U

Keir Starmer has cemented his reputation for flip-flopping with two more major concessions in 2026, just a fortnight into the New Year.

Events

5 d. ago How teenagers outsmarted Australia's social media ban with tricks as simple as screwing up their faces to make it look like they've got wrinkles

Anyone visiting the Sortino family home in Melbourne, Australia, last month could have cut the tension with a knife.

Politics

5 d. ago Social media time does not increase teenagers’ mental health problems – study

UK study comes as ministers consider Australia’s ban on social media use for under-16sScreen time spent gaming or on social media does not cause mental health problems in teenagers, according to a large-scale study.With ministers in the UK considering whether to follow Australia’s example by banning social media use for under-16s, the findings challenge concerns that long periods spent gaming or scrolling TikTok or Instagram s driving an increase in teenagers’ depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions. Continue reading...

Politics