UK to consider Australia-style ban on social media for children

UK ministers will visit Australia to gather information on the first-ever social media ban for under-16s implemented last month.Published On 20 Jan 2026The UK government has launched a consultation on implementing an Australian-style social media ban for children in the UK, as well as other measures to better protect minors online.The government said on Monday it would examine evidence from around the world on a wide range of suggested proposals, including looking at ‌whether a social media ban for minors would be effective, and if one ‌was introduced, how best to ‌make it work.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4More than 100 vehicle pile-up leaves US motorists stranded in snowstormlist 2 of 4Norway PM: Trump ‘preoccupied’ with Nobel Peace Prize on Greenland textslist 3 of 4Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ draws scepticismlist 4 of 4Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,426end of listUK ministers will ⁠visit Australia, which last month became the first country in the world to ban social media for young people ‌under 16 years old, hoping to learn firsthand from the Australian approach, the UK government said in a ‍statement.“The consultation will look at options including raising the digital age of consent, implementing phone curfews to avoid excessive use, and restricting potentially addictive design features such as ‘streaks’ and ‘infinite scrolling’,” the government said.The UK’s announcement comes as governments and regulators worldwide grapple with the rapid explosion of AI-generated content, which was highlighted this month by an international outcry over reports of Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot generating non-consensual sexual images, including of children.The UK has already set out plans for an outright ban on artificial intelligence nudification tools, while working to stop children being able ‌to take, share or view nude images on their devices, ⁠it said in Monday’s statement.“We are determined to ensure technology enriches children’s lives, not harms them – and to give every child the childhood they deserve,” UK Secretary of State for Technology Liz Kendall said.