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UK Launches Consultation on Possible Under-16 Social Media Ban

Should we ban social media for under-16s, or hold tech companies accountable for harmful content instead?
UK Launches Consultation on Possible Under-16 Social Media Ban
Above: A 12-year-old boy looks at an iPhone screen on Feb. 25, 2024 in Bath. Image credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

The Spin

Techno-optimist narrative

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.

Techno-skeptic narrative

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 — kids themselves admit they wish these apps had never been invented.

Metaculus Prediction



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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0