UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing to announce new social media restrictions targeting children, responding to mounting pressure for an Australia-style age verification system. The government has signaled "decisive" action in the coming weeks, though specifics remain unclear.
The move follows Australia's landmark legislation, which bans social media access for under-16s and holds platforms accountable for enforcement. Britain faces similar pressure from child safety advocates, parents, and MPs concerned about mental health impacts, online bullying, and predatory behavior on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Starmer's pledge suggests the UK government will pursue either a statutory age verification requirement, enhanced age-gating mechanisms, or legal liability shifts that place responsibility on tech companies rather than parents. The timing matters. Australia's law sparked global debate about whether age restrictions work, with platforms like TikTok and Meta already testing age verification in select markets. Meta has invested heavily in teen safety features like restricted messaging with unknown adults.
Labour manifesto commitments centered on online safety and duty-of-care legislation, making this an early signal of Starmer's priorities. However, child safety advocates warn that age verification alone proves difficult without risking data privacy breaches. Tech companies have lobbied against strict age bans, citing enforcement challenges and the risk of driving teens to unregulated platforms.
The UK already has the Online Safety Bill, which requires platforms to protect children from harmful content. A social media ban would represent a sharper pivot toward exclusion rather than regulation. Starmer's "decisive" language suggests legislation rather than voluntary commitments from tech firms, a posture that aligns with the government's tougher stance on Big Tech.
Expect announcement details within weeks. The policy will test whether Britain follows Australia's aggressive model or crafts its own hybrid approach balancing age protection with privacy rights.