Britain is considering an Australian-style ban on social media for children under 16 as part of a broader review of online safety, according to Reuters. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said unrestricted access exposes young people to harmful patterns such as excessive scrolling, anxiety and social pressure, and warned the government is ready to act if needed. Officials are also reviewing whether features like infinite scrolling should be restricted and whether the minimum age for accessing platforms should be raised.

Ministers are expected to visit Australia, which recently became the first country to introduce a nationwide under-16 social media ban, to study how the policy works in practice. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the UK is actively considering a similar age threshold, while acknowledging concerns that an outright ban could push harmful behaviour underground or restrict beneficial online engagement for young people.

The review comes amid growing global concern about the impact of social media and AI-generated content on children’s mental health and development. Alongside age limits, the UK government is weighing stricter age verification, the removal of addictive platform features, and a ban on AI nudification tools. Officials say existing measures under the Online Safety Act have already strengthened age checks and reduced children’s exposure to harmful content.