Online safety campaigners have urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to block under-16s from accessing social media apps that fail to meet strict safety standards, rather than implementing a blanket ban similar to Australia's. The NSPCC, Molly Rose Foundation, and Smartphone Free Childhood argue that platforms should not be allowed to offer 'risky' features such as infinite scrolling, disappearing messages, and push notifications to teenagers.
In a letter to the prime minister, the groups called for a system where platforms' ability to serve under-16s is conditional on demonstrating safety. 'We believe a binary debate between banning children from social media or not can oversimplify what is a complex issue,' they wrote. The letter was sent a week before the UK government's consultation on new online safety measures closes, which includes a potential under-16 ban.
The campaigners propose that apps be vetted before under-16s can access them, and new features undergo safety checks before launch. This approach contrasts with Australia's ban, which restricts access to apps enabling social interaction or user posting. The UK's Online Safety Act, overseen by Ofcom, provides the legal framework for regulation.
The letter aims to unify campaigners' positions. While the Molly Rose Foundation and NSPCC have stopped short of calling for a formal age limit, Smartphone Free Childhood backs restrictions for under-16s. Joe Ryrie, director of Smartphone Free Childhood, said: 'What's so significant about this moment is that organisations across civil society are aligning around a simple principle: access to our children should be treated as a privilege that must be earned, not an automatic right.'
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, called for safe app design as a 'precondition for tech firms to do business in the UK'. A government spokesperson said ministers share the determination to keep children safe online, adding it is not a question of 'whether we will act, but how'.
