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UK Considers Social Media Ban for Under-16s

UK Considers Social Media Ban for Under-16s

UK Considers Social Media Ban for Under-16s
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The Spin

Banning social media for under-16s is heavy-handed and misses the point entirely. The real problem isn't teenagers using platforms but corporations peddling harmful content without accountability, and any ban just pushes kids toward unregulated corners of the internet while ignoring that older generations spread far more misinformation and conspiracy theories online.

Social media companies have deliberately engineered addiction in children, causing an epidemic of anxiety and depression that teachers and parents can't fight alone. Banning under-16s from these platforms isn't censorship but common sense protection, just like restricting cigarettes, because kids themselves admit they wish these apps had never been invented.

Metaculus Prediction

There is a 25% chance the EU will require mandatory age verification on social media or AI before 2027, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0