UK weighs Australian-style social media ban for under-16s

The UK government has opened a public consultation on whether children under 16 should be banned from using major social media platforms, mirroring rules already in place in Australia. Ministers from science, technology and education departments said they will seek views from parents, children and the wider public, and will travel to Australia to study how its system works in practice.

Officials will review international evidence on several proposals, including a full ban, raising the digital age of consent, introducing phone curfews and limiting "addictive" design features such as endless scrolling. Alongside the consultation, the government has issued tougher guidance aimed at turning schools into "phone-free environments", with no pupil access during lessons, breaks or between classes and expectations that staff also keep personal phone use out of sight. Schools inspectorate Ofsted will now check mobile phone policies during routine inspections, and the government expects schools to be phone-free by default under the new rules.