Rishi Sunak is considering a crackdown on social media use for teenagers under the age of 16, with a ban said to be one of the options on the table.
Ministers are mulling further action to limit children’s exposure to harmful content, despite bringing in new controls with the Online Safety Act earlier this year.
The government is reportedly ready to begin a consultation in January to look at the evidence of harms to young teens from using social media.
A ban on use by under-16s and improved parental controls are options under discussion, according to Bloomberg.
However, a government spokesperson played down the prospect of anything resembling a full ban. “From our point of view, we’re looking at ways to empower parents rather than crack down on anything in particular,” the spokesperson said.
They added: “We’ve identified that there is a gap in research, so we’ll be looking at what more research into it needs to be done, but nothing is yet signed off by ministers.”
It comes as schools minister Damian Hinds urged Facebook owner Meta to “rethink its decision” to bring in encrypted messaging amid fears for the safety of children.
