Should children be banned from social media? UK Government wants your view
The UK Government has opened a public consultation on whether children should face age restrictions on social media, gaming sites and AI chatbots.
The consultation, published today by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, will also consider restrictions on design features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay, which the government says encourage excessive use.
Other measures under consideration include raising the digital age of consent, how age verification technology should be used, and whether guidance on mobile phone use in schools should be made a legal requirement.
Australia became the first country in the world to ban under-16s from social media in December 2025.
Since that ban took effect, social media companies have reported closing or restricting around 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children.
Spain, Denmark, France and several other countries are now considering similar restrictions.
The UK consultation builds on the Online Safety Act 2023, which set rules on protecting children from illegal and harmful content online.
The government said social media use among children and adolescents is now “almost universal” and that the proportion of children with social media profiles has increased significantly over the past five years.
Three separate surveys have been published.
The first is a full consultation open to anyone, including civil society groups and the technology industry.
The second is aimed at parents and carers of young people aged 21 and under.
The third is for children and young people aged 10 to 21.
The consultation closes at 11:59pm on 26 May 2026.Responses can be submitted through the surveys published on GOV.UK.
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