this post was submitted on 15 Jun 2026
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UK: Under-16s to be banned from social media, Starmer announces (www.bbc.co.uk)
submitted 8 hours ago by Tarambor@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
87 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Under-16s will be banned from using social media, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced.

Starmer says social media is making children unhappy, making it easier for bullies to abuse children, and is "designed to be addictive". A ban would give children more time, security, and more freedom to grow up - as well as more opportunities, he adds.

"That is all any parent wants. They want to know that Britain will be better for their children, that they will get a fair chance," the PM says in a speech in Downing Street.

Starmer adds that the government is "not prepared to compromise" on the safety and happiness of children - and that includes in the regulation and enforcement of this ban. He says the government has listened to and learned from countries like Australia, where a similar ban has already been introduced.

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[–] Bazoogle@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Alcohol has a negative effect. Historically it has not gone well when countries have tried to ban alcohol.

Adults can make their own decisions. They can consume things that are bad for themselves. They can smoke, they can drink, they can gamble. Kids, including teens, do not have brain developed enough to comprehend the consequences for their decisions. They might understand the words you're saying if you try to explain the consequences, but they wouldn't fully grasp the magnitude.

Not to mention there is 100% more damage done to a developing brain. It changes the way their brains function that does not happen when someone starts using social media only as an adult. The same goes for drinking, gambling, and smoking is just bad for everyone.

In adulthood, social media use is also linked to activation in the brain’s reward centers, but two key differences may lessen harm, Prinstein said. First, adults tend to have a fixed sense of self that relies less on feedback from peers. Second, adults have a more mature prefrontal cortex, an area that can help regulate emotional responses to social rewards.

https://www.apa.org/news/apa/2022/social-media-children-teens

ban algorithmic social media in its entirety

You want the government to define an algorithm? Sorting by newest first is an algorithm... It would just be a ban on social media, which I can guarantee nearly everyone on this site would call absurd as well.