Starmer says Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps [View all]

Source: ABC News

Britain will ban children aged under 16 from using a range of social media apps, including Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, to protect them from harmful content and excessive screen time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday.

The plan was met with mixed reaction, with some praising Starmer for taking action and others questioning the effectiveness of a blanket ban.

YouTube and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, warned Monday that a blanket social media restriction could push kids into unregulated online spaces.

“Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services,” a YouTube spokesperson said. Meta said a ban could drive teens to online spaces without any parental controls.

Read more: https://abcnews.com/Technology/wireStory/british-leader-expected-impose-teen-social-media-ban-133878229