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The United Kingdom’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, plans to release new measures to restrict children’s access to social media, with an announcement expected within days.
The planned policy is expected to form part of a major speech by the British prime minister next week, as the government moves closer to introducing tougher controls on young people’s online activity.
The announcement comes at a busy political moment for Starmer. He is due to attend the annual G7 summit in France for several days next week, while the Makerfield by-election, where Andy Burnham is Labour’s candidate, will take place on Thursday.
Government ministers have spent recent weeks considering a range of options to better protect children online. Among the proposals under review is a blanket ban preventing under-16s from accessing social media platforms, similar to measures already adopted in Australia.
Officials have also explored the possibility of exempting certain aspects of social media that are considered less harmful to young users.
Starmer had previously resisted calls for stricter limits on children’s use of social media. However, mounting pressure from the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and several Labour MPs prompted the government to launch a public consultation on the issue in March.
Following the conclusion of the consultation last month, the prime minister signalled a change in approach, promising to introduce what he described as “decisive” measures that would be a “game-changer” in protecting children online.
