Forced Offline: Inside the 'Digital Curfew' and Social Media Blackout Sweeping the UK and France

Australia has since set the tone for nations banning social media for underage teens, and it's looking like the United Kingdom and France are following suit. After Australia gained attention as the world's first nation to ban teens under 16 from social media, the entire world paid attention, and some governments considered doing it, including the UK.

The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 mandates that social media platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube implement age verification to prevent children under 16 from creating accounts. Social media platforms that fail to comply with age verification requirements could face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (£24.7 million).

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Pressure on the Prime Minister

Over 60 committee chairs, left-wing and right-wing MPs, and former frontbenchers are urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to support a similar social media ban, following Australia's lead, the Guardian reports.

In the letter put together by Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View, Fred Thomas, they tell the prime minister, 'Across our constituencies, we hear the same message: children are anxious, unhappy, and unable to focus on learning. They are not building the social skills needed to thrive, nor having the experiences that will prepare them for adulthood. Around the world, governments are recognising the severity of this crisis and taking action.'

The MPs also said, 'We believe the onus must be placed on technology platforms, not parents, to prevent underage access. We would support a model similar to Australia's that requires companies to take meaningful steps to enforce age limits.' They emphasise that Australia, France, Norway, Denmark, Greece, and New Zealand have existing legislation in line with the act.

They end the note with, 'We urge the government to show leadership on this issue by introducing a minimum age for social media access of 16 years old.' Signatories of the letter include Helen Hayes, Florence Eshalomi, Vicky Foxcroft, and Catherine McKinnell, with support from Richard Burgon (Labour Party) and Jonathan Hinder (Conservative Party).

The prime minister expressed cynicism about the ban's success, but later admitted in a meeting that he would be open to considering it. A source of the Guardian relayed, 'In principle, Keir is in favour of a ban. We can all see the dangers and worry about what is happening to young people's minds. But there are still big obstacles to overcome with implementation. We can already see that from Australia. We need to take our time and make sure we get this right.'

A source also suggests that Starmer may support the ban, although the government will not rush into it. Culture Secretary Lisa Nnady told BBC, 'There are strong arguments for banning under-16s from social media, but there are also real concerns raised by the NSPCC and others about whether it pushes children to darker, less-regulated places on the internet.'

The UK moving to get the social media act implemented, following Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Greece, et.al. underscores how world leaders are looking into protecting the youth from the dangers of social media and promoting online safety.