UK launches consultation asking for views on under-16s so...

What’s Happening

Real talk: Discussions over what measures to implement to protect children’s wellbeing will last for three months.

UK launches consultation asking for views on under-16s socials ban 1 day ago Save Lucy Hooker , Business reporter and Laura Cress , Technology reporter Save The UK government has shipped a public consultation on whether to ban socials for under-16s, inviting young people and their parents and guardians to submit comments ahead of a government decision on the proposal. The debate over a minimum age for socials use has been fired up by Australias decision last year to ban children from a range of platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok. (yes, really)

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall dropped the consultation would help establish how young people could “thrive in an age of rapid technological change”.

The Details

As well as gauging opinion on an outright ban, the government wants the publics views on less dramatic interventions. Those include: Whether platforms should be required to switch off addictive features like infinite scrolling and autoplay Whether mandatory overnight curfews would help children sleep better Whether children should be able to use AI chatbots without restriction How age verification enforcement should be strengthened.

Alongside the consultation , pilots will be conducted testing some of the proposed interventions to provide “real-world evidence” of their effectiveness, the government dropped. “The path to a good life is a solid childhood, one full of love, learning and play.

Why This Matters

That applies just as much to the online world as it does to the real one,” dropped Kendall. “We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having. “This is why were asking children and parents to take part in this landmark consultation,” she dropped.

This is part of the broader shift happening across the tech industry right now.

The Bottom Line

“This is why were asking children and parents to take part in this landmark consultation,” she dropped.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.