The technology minister has said an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s is now highly unlikely.
Peter Kyle previously said it was ‘on the table’ if companies do not take stronger action to protect children.
He made the warning while preparing to tell Ofcom to be more assertive with tech giants, as both he and the regulator ready themselves for new legal powers in the Online Safety Act to commence from the start of 2025.
The Act will see new safety duties placed on social media platforms for the first time, requiring them to protect users, and in particular children, from harmful content.
The Technology Secretary said he did not want to pursue further law changes until he sees how the Online Safety Act works.
But he signalled he had been speaking to politicians from Australia where social media restrictions for under-16s have been considered.
He said he was ‘looking forward’ to ‘seeing the results’ of the legislation that would stop children using sites such as TikTok and Instagram.
However, Mr Kyle now says he ‘doesn’t have any plans’ to bring in an Aussie-style social media ban because they have to be ‘very careful’ about restricting anything that could be a lifeline to vulnerable children.
Peter Kyle previously said a ban was ‘on the table’ if companies do not take stronger action to protect children
Mr Kyle told The Sun that Childline is using social media to connect with children who need help and it can be a ‘lifeline’.
The Aussie bill, passed during the final day of Parliament of the year, is set to come into effect by the end of 2025, and will require platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook, to block children and younger teenagers from accessing their services.
Individual companies face $50million fines for failing to comply.
Asked if the UK could push its age limits up to 16, Mr Kyle told the Telegraph a few weeks ago: ‘When it comes to keeping young people safe, everything is on the table.’
The House of Commons Education Committee said in May that the Government should consider a total ban on phones for under-16s and that tougher action is needed to limit screen time and combat online harm.
Asked if the UK could push its age limits up to 16, Mr Kyle told the Telegraph a few weeks ago: ‘When it comes to keeping young people safe, everything is on the table’
But Keir Starmer said in July that he does not support ‘simply banning’ phones for children under 16, adding that the Government needs ‘to look again’ at what content children are accessing online.
Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, has campaigned for an age limit to smartphone usage and stricter controls on access to social media apps.
In February, the previous government gave schools in England non-statutory guidance intended to stop the use of mobile phones during school hours.
Ian Russell, chairman of the Molly Rose Foundation, said the new priorities offered some ‘course correction’ for the Online Safety Act in the UK and would allow Ofcom to be ‘bolder’, but warned more reform to the rules was still needed.
The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) was set up by Mr Russell and his family in memory of his daughter, Molly, who ended her life aged 14 in November 2017 after viewing harmful content on social media.
‘This announcement outlines a much-needed course correction, vital for improved online safety, and to prevent the new regulation falling badly short of expectations,’ he said.
‘However, while this lays down an important marker for Ofcom to be bolder, it is also abundantly clear that we need a new Online Safety Act to strengthen current structural deficiencies and focus minds on the importance of harm reduction.’
Maria Neophytou, director of strategy and knowledge at the NSPCC, said the new priorities have ‘the potential to change the online world for children’.
She added: ‘Through Childline, we hear daily from young people about the range of harms they are experiencing online, including online bullying, access to content encouraging suicide and eating disorders and child sexual abuse and exploitation.
‘Tech companies must be transparent about the harm happening on their platforms. They should be disrupting ‘safe havens’ for offenders by tackling the hidden abuse taking place through private messaging.
‘It is right that the Government is focusing on driving innovation and new technology that can identify and disrupt abuse and prevent harm from happening in the first place.’
An Ofcom spokesperson said: ‘Our resolve to create a safer life online for children and adults in the UK has never been stronger.
‘We welcome the Government’s draft statement of strategic priorities for online safety which, once finalised, will help shape this important work.’
