Starmer considers following Australia with under-16s social media ban as Government says 'nothing off the table'
Downing Street is said to be closely monitoring how the policy works Down Under
Sir Keir Starmer is considering following in Australia's footsteps by banning social media for under-16s in the UK.
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In a world first earlier this month, multiple online platforms were ordered to block millions of youths in Australia from accessing their accounts in an announcement made by the country's Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese.
The UK Government is now said to be considering copying the move in a bid to protect schoolchildren from the dangers of the internet.
Sir Keir previously said he was "personally" against the ban, but it has since been revealed that Downing Street is "closely monitoring" the policy.
Read more: Ban social media for under-16s like Australia, Children's Commissioner urges
Following Australia's announcement, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told LBC that the Government would keep a "close eye" on the matter as the Government announced its ten-year national youth plan to tackle isolation online.
Speaking to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Ms Nandy said: "In this national Youth Strategy, we heard from over 14,000 young people in this country and we very specifically talked to them about their experiences of social media.
"They were really concerned that if you introduced a blanket ban, not only would it be very difficult to make that work, it might push young people into other parts of the Internet that are unregulated."
Talks are understood to have been held between Sir Keir and Liz Kendall, the Technology Secretary, about introducing similar legislation if the Australian scheme were to prove effective, according to The Telegraph.
However, sources maintain that a decision is a long way off.
A Government spokesman told LBC: "We understand parents' concerns about the impact of social media on children, which is why we've taken some of the boldest steps globally to ensure online content is genuinely age appropriate.
"It's important we protect children while letting them benefit safely from the digital world, without cutting off essential services or isolating the most vulnerable.
"The Government is closely monitoring Australia's approach to age restrictions. When it comes to children’s safety, nothing is off the table, but any action must be based on robust evidence.
"For that reason, there are no current plans to introduce a blanket ban on smartphones or social media for children."
According to Australia’s Bureau of Statistics, the new legislation will affect around five million children who now cannot access sites including Facebook, X, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.
Speaking on Sunday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting also appeared to support the idea.
"I think about how difficult it was when I was a teenager to sneak myself into a 15 or 18 film at a cinema. Nowadays kids are able to access the most extreme content," he told The Observer.
Warning that social media had increasingly become "anti-social media," Mr Streeting added: "That’s why I think what Australia's doing is interesting and we should follow the results closely and see if that’s something we should consider doing here."