Tories would ban under-16s from social media, says Badenoch UK politics live

"The Conservatives have announced they would ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms if they were in government, amid growing concerns about young people's mental health, ability to concentrate and their easy access to harmful content online. The Conservative party leader, Kemi Badenoch, also said phones would be banned in schools if the Tories came into power, arguing the move would help protect children's mental health and education. The party, which is heavily trailing in the polls, wants social media companies, including the hugely popular TikTok, and Snapchat, to use age verification checks to prevent under-16s from using their sites."

"It comes as the NASUWT teachers' union calls on the government to ban social media for under-16s to improve concentration at school and stem damage to mental health. Australia's world-first social media ban for children under the age of 16 came into effect last month. Under-16s there cannot use major social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, and have had their existing profiles deactivated and can't set up new accounts."

"Several other countries are considering social media bans for under-15s after Australia's ban including Denmark, whose government hopes to introduce a ban in 2026, Norway, and France, who reportedly intends to ban social media platforms for children from the start of the 2026 academic year. The UK Labour party has not entirely opposed the idea, saying nothing is off the table but has cautioned that any ban must be based on robust evidence. Kemi Badenoch will likely be grilled on the details of the proposed under-16s social media ban when she appears on the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg Sunday Politics programme shortly."

Conservatives propose banning under-16s from social media platforms and banning phones in schools to protect children's mental health and education. Kemi Badenoch champions the measures and calls for social media companies such as TikTok and Snapchat to implement age verification checks to block under-16 users. The NASUWT teachers' union supports a ban to improve concentration at school and reduce mental health harms. Australia has already deactivated under-16 profiles on major platforms, and Denmark, Norway and France are considering similar bans. Labour urges robust evidence before backing any restriction. Kemi Badenoch will face questions on policy details on the BBC programme.

Read at www.theguardian.com