The UK Conservative Party has announced plans to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms if it wins power, citing concerns over mental health and addictive app usage. The party intends to follow Australia, which became the first country to introduce such a policy last month.
Party leader Kemi Badenoch also proposed a ban on smartphones in schools, arguing that many parents want to limit their children’s use of social media but are unsure how to enforce it. Badenoch emphasized that social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat have a strong correlation with rising mental health issues among young people.
She defended the proposed restrictions as a “very Conservative policy” aimed at protecting children. “We tell children what to do all the time. Children are not adults. Freedom is for adults,” Badenoch said. “Adults should be able to cope with that and manage themselves. Children, we need to protect.”
The party plans to require social media companies to implement age verification tools to prevent under-16s from accessing their platforms. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the government would review Australia’s ban to “get the balance right” between safety and online access.
Alexander highlighted that the Online Safety Act, introduced under the Conservatives, already empowers Ofcom to prevent young people from encountering harmful online content, including material related to suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, and pornography. Platforms that fail to comply risk fines, jail time, or bans in the UK.
