After Australia, Britain also discusses stopping social networks for under 16 years

A similar ban went into effect in Australia in December 2025, the first of its kind in the world. Other countries are said to be considering such a law.

This comes after more than 60 lab deputies wrote to the prime minister on the matter, with the mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, who also called on the government to act.

According to the Science Department, Innovation and Technology, consultation will require the views of parents, youth and civil society” to determine the effectiveness of a ban.

It would also be considered if social media firms could implement stricter age controls that could be forced to remove or limit “features that promote the complex use of social media”.

And the Offsted will give more severe instruction to schools to reduce phone use, including staff guidance not to use their equipment for personal reasons before students. The government will respond to consultation during the summer.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the laws on the Online Security Act “were never destined to be the final point” and said she understood that the “parents still have serious concerns”.

We are determined to make sure that technology enrichs children's lives, not harms them, and gives every childhood child that deserves”, she said.

Secretary General of the National Education Union (NEU), Daniel Kebede, called the move a welcome “ ” change.

“Every day, parents and teachers see how social media form the identity and attention of children long before they give GCSE exams, drawing them into insulating and endless cycles of content”, he said. /Periscopi