UK
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Starmer said that it is hoped the regulation will pass by Christmas and come into effect early next year.
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UK PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has announced that children under the age of 16 will be banned from accessing social media.
The move has been billed as a child protection measure.
Tánaiste Simon Harris today described the move as positive and said he hopes the EU act.
Speaking to reporters in Dublin, he said: “I think the social experimentation with the minds of our young people is real, it’s worrying, I think it’s potentially the mental health and wellbeing challenge of our time.
“It’s always been the preference of this Government that we would act on a European level. I hope that this is an issue that Europe can arrive at a consensus view on because I know a lot of governments across the European Union are concerned.
“So the most impactful thing we could see would be the EU moving quickly and together on this, but if it doesn’t Ireland has the right of its own domestic legislation.”
The Journal / YouTube
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, Starmer said that it is hoped the regulation will pass by Christmas and come into effect early next year.
“This is very significant for our country,” Starmer said. “It is about protecting children, and I’m absolutely clear that a ban is the right outcome.”
He continued: “We’ve got a definition of social media, which is taken from the Australian model, so that means that there are certain features or services that are expected to be within the band, and some that won’t.
“Therefore there are things like, for example, YouTube Kids, Lego Play, Classroom, Google even – they’re obviously the other side of the line. They don’t have the features that are concerned here, but the ban is absolutely clear for the services that come within the definition of social media.”
The UK’s ban will go further than Australia’s by including romantic or sexual AI chatbots, and children could also be blocked from chatting to strangers on gaming platforms.
The public consultation on the issue, which closed on 26 May, received about 116,000 responses, making it the second-largest in history.
Over 83% of parents who responded said social media risks outweigh the benefits for children – with 91% backing a minimum age of 16 before platforms can offer their services to children.
Almost two thirds (62%) of children who responded said restricting the high-risk features would make them safer online.
But 72% also said they were worried about feeling left out if restrictions came in.
Questioned whether children will simply try to find a way around the ban, as some have in Australia, the prime minister said this is likely, but he is confident the UK can enforce it adequately.
“The enforcement will be on the platform providers, not on the children. I think it’s really important that we make that clear. We’re not going to start taking action against 13 and 14 and 15-year-olds who are trying, as they always will, to get around rules that adults put in their path.
“This is absolutely aimed at those who are providing the platforms,” Starmer said.
Additional reporting by PA
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