Published: January 20, 2026 at 9:08 am
A social media ban for those under 16 in the UK could come into effect.
The government is launching a wide-ranging consultation on children’s online safety and wellbeing, as ministers weigh new measures to limit the impact of mobile phones and social media on young people.
The proposals come as the UK looks closely at international approaches, including Australia’s landmark ban on social media for under-16s, which came into force in December.
Under the Australian rules, platforms such as Meta, TikTok and YouTube are required to take “reasonable steps” to prevent young teenagers holding accounts, with potential fines of up to A$49.5 million (£24.6m) for non-compliance.
The policy is already facing legal challenge, with Reddit filing a case in Australia’s High Court arguing the ban unlawfully interferes with implied constitutional protections and that Reddit should be exempt under the law’s definition of social media.
The review will look at options including raising the digital age of consent, introducing “phone curfews”, restricting potentially addictive features such as infinite scrolling and “streaks”, as well as assessing whether a social media ban for children could be effective.