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A possible ban on social media for under-16s in the UK is “on the table”, the technology secretary Peter Kyle has told the BBC.
Speaking on the Today programme, on BBC Radio 4, he said he would “do what it takes” to keep people and in particular children safe online.
He also announced further research into the impact tech such as smartphones and social media was having on young people, claiming there was currently “no firm, peer-reviewed evidence”.
Kyle has spelt out his priorities, external in what he called a “letter of strategic intent” to the regulator Ofcom, which is assuming extra powers under the Online Safety Act (OSA).
Campaign group the Molly Rose Foundation welcomed what it called an “important marker for Ofcom to be bolder” but said that should not obscure the fact that the OSA needed to be strengthened.
“Our research is clear. The public and parents back an updated Act that embeds an overarching duty of care on tech firms, and the Prime Minister must act quickly and decisively to deliver this unfinished job,” it said in a post on X, external.
Iona Silverman, from law firm Freeths, described a potential social media ban as “a drop in an ocean-sized problem”, saying teenagers would just find new ways to access problematic material online.
“The government needs to think bigger: this is a problem that requires a cultural shift, and also requires legislation to be one step ahead of, rather than behind, technology,” she said.
