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UK to ban under-16s from ‘high risk’ social media apps

UK to ban under-16s from ‘high risk’ social media apps Teenagers under the age of 16 are to be banned

Canada proposes teen social media ban - with workaround for tech firms

Social media bans for teenagers are being considered by other countries, including the UK, with

‘A tsunami of harm’: views on tackling online safety for under-16s in the UK

UK, a limit set, in effect, by the General Data Protection Regulation. There is no formal limit for social media. Russell, the chair of the Molly Rose Foundation charity, has been critical of the pace

Starmer tells social media firms in No 10 meeting ‘things can’t go on like this’

ban, worrying that it could push young people on to the dark web and leave teenagers ill-equipped to use technology wisely once they turn 16. Popular social media apps set an age limit

Rushed social media ban for under-16s in UK could ‘unravel’, charity warns

media apps. It is not known which apps would fit into that category, but a blanket ban in Australia covers the leading industry names including Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and Snapchat. MRF, founded

Limit social media ban for under-16s to unsafe apps, Starmer urged

UK’s legal framework for social media regulation, the Online Safety Act, is overseen by the communications watchdog, Ofcom. The letter seeks to unify campaigners’ positions on an under-16 ban. MRF and NSPCC have

Crackdown on tech platforms will go ahead despite US intervention, says No 10

UK online safety debate, has warned against an immediate ban for apps deemed to be highly risky. Instead, it has said the government should set strict safety standards for social media apps, such as curbing

Contingency plans in place for possible food shortages if Iran war continues, minister confirms – UK politics live

teenagers. Last night, for the second time, [MPs rejected a proposal to ban under-16s from using social media](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/15/mps-vote-against-social-media-ban-for-under-16s-a-second-time). *9.30am:* NHS England publishes its monthly performance figures. *10am:* John Swinney

EU needs to delay social media access for children - von der Leyen

UK**, plans are under way for strict social media regulations, also for under-16s. This entails potential bans, age verification and content restrictions. A major national consultation is due to close

‘Close to zero impact’: US study casts doubt on effect of phone ban in schools

UK’s Department for Education announced that it would legislate to make restrictions on phones a statutory requirement for England’s state schools. Recent research by England’s children’s commissioner found that more than

Esther Ghey's dismay over PM meeting tech bosses first

teenagers in a Warrington park in 2023. One of the killers said she had become interested in "dark materials" including online videos of murder and torture. In 2024, Ghey spoke about youth mental health issues

Molly Russell's dad says PM rushing social media restrictions 'deplorable'

banned from accessing "high-risk" social media platforms under the plans, while safer ones would be subjected to restrictions. Speaking exclusively to BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Russell said he would

She escaped child marriage ‘to a pervert’. Now she’s a divisive first lady

teenager. A lot has changed since then. In the years that followed, she became an actress, then met a man in London when she was interviewing him about influential Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora

Nearly half of UK girls saw harmful social media content in a week, research shows

teenagers saw suicide, self-harm and eating disorder content on social media in a week, a study shows. The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) research found that 47% of girls aged 13 to 17 encountered high

'Untouchable' teen motorbike thieves mocking victims on TikTok

Ban these accounts, because they are brazenly showing stolen property." After reporting the theft to Humberside Police, Thompson says he used social media to try to trace the bike. He was told about potential sightings

NSPCC reports sharp rise in children being blackmailed over sexual images in UK

UK last year, according to a leading charity. The NSPCC said contacts with its Childline service relating to online sexual abuse and exploitation rose by 36% last year, driven by an increase in cases related

Ministers open-minded on shape of UK social media limits, Phillipson says

social media as well as other services such as gaming sites and AI chatbots. However, the UK government had not made any firm commitments on likely action until the late intervention during wrangling

Sikhs wary of UK backlash as they condemn ‘moment of madness’

teenager before they realised the extent of his injuries. In a joint statement, Sikh community groups condemned what they called “a moment of madness” by one individual, while stating that the wider Sikh community

Law enforcement is trying to combat abusive AI. Experts say easier said than done

UK communications regulator Ofcom launched a formal investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X regarding its AI chatbot, Grok following reports that Grok has been used to generate nonconsensual sexual deepfakes.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com

Sarah Wynn-Williams and Virginia Giuffre jointly win freedom to publish prize at British book awards

teenagers. Meta has disputed the claims. Giuffre received the award posthumously for [Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/oct/20/nobodys-girl-by-virginia-roberts-giuffre-review-a-devastating-expose-of-power-corruption-and-abuse), which recounts the abuse she said she suffered