UK could follow Australia in banning social media for young teenagers blaming inappropriate content for fuelling mental health crisis
UK could follow Australia in banning social media for young teenagers
PA
The UK could follow Australia’s lead in banning social media for young teenagers, blaming inappropriate content in fuelling a mental health crisis in the nation.
Peter Kyle, the Science and Technology Secretary said that he is open to mirroring Australia's curbs, and said that he was “looking forward” to “seeing the results” of the new legislation.
Anthony Albanese earlier this week said that “enough is enough” and wants to introduce laws to protect children from social media giants including Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.
Draft legislation has proposed the ban start at 14, though the Australian Prime Minister is yet to state the specific age limits and announce the start date.
UK could follow Australia in banning social media for young teenagersPA“We know that technology moves fast,” Albanese said before the announcement.
“No government is going to be able to protect every child from every threat – but we have to do all we can. Parents are worried sick about this. We know they’re working without a map – no generation has faced this challenge before.”
Speaking about replicating the new measures, Kyle told The Sun: “There's nothing I take off the table when it comes to keeping children, women and girls safe in our society.
“I'm looking at the international evidence.”
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier this week said that “enough is enough”
PAIn May, the House of Commons Education Committee said that the Government should consider banning phones for those under the age of 16.
They said that tougher action is required to cut back on screen time and tackle online abuse.
However, in July, Sir Keir Starmer said that he does not endorse “simply banning” phones for young people, instead stating that the Government needs to “look again” at exactly what content children are engaging with online.
In draft legislation prepared by chief justice Robert French and commissioned by the South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas, the state of South Australia has proposed an outright ban for children under 13, and the need for parental consent for kids between the ages of 14 and 15.
Peter Kyle, the Science and Technology Secretary said that he is open to mirroring Australia's curbs
PAMalinauskas has endorsed setting the age as 14, though the agreed upon age could be higher.
The 276-page report outlines the proposed changes are “available for other state governments to pursue” if they choose to and could be rolled out across the nation.
If social media companies breach the rules, Malinauskas said parents, or a regulator on behalf of a child, could seek compensation.