Tories would ban under-16s from social media and forbid smartphones in schools
The Conservative Party are taking note of the success of the Australian social media ban, which came into effect last month.
The Conservative Patry have said that they would ban under-16s from social media if they were in power, after the success of a similar ban in Australia last month.
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Tory party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has also said they would prohibit the use of smartphones in schools.
The changes are aimed at protecting children's mental health and education, and to prevent them from seeing harmful content online, say the Conservatives.
They are also advocating for social media companies such as TikTok and Snapchat to use age verification tools in order keep young people off the platforms.
Badenoch said that the age restriction would give adults choice, whilst protecting children.
The scope of the policy would be kept under review, say the Tories.
Separately, the teachers' union NASUWT also called for a similar ban after taking evidence from its members.
Currently, the Labour government does not support the idea - but insists it is taking action to ensure only age-appropriate material is accessible to children online.
In July last year, the Online Safety Act was introduced, forcing platforms to stop young people from viewing dangerous content online - including suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and pornography.
Enforced by media regulator Ofcom, any platforms not complying with the legislation may be punished with fines, jail time or, in serious cases, a ban in the UK.
In the coming months, the government is expected to issue guidance to parents around how much screen-time children under the age of five should have.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said that by two, around 98% of children were watching screens on a daily basis, with research suggesting that increased screen time correlated directly to poor language development.
The guidance, which will be published in its first iteration in April, will incorporate input from parents, children and early years practitioners.