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Jun 09, 2026
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UK's Rushed Social Media Ban for Under-16s Could Unravel, Charity Warns

AI Summary
A leading child safety charity, the Molly Rose Foundation, has warned that a rushed social media ban for under-16s in the UK could 'unravel' and leave families to count the cost. The charity argues that a blanket ban would fail to make children safer as they would circumvent age checks and move to less regulated areas such as gaming.

The Proposed Social Media Ban

A rushed under-16s social media ban in the UK could unravel and families would be left to count the cost, a leading child safety charity has warned.

The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) said an age limit on the use of tech platforms could unravel, after it was reported that the prime minister, Keir Starmer, would announce a ban on under-16s accessing “harmful” social media apps.

The Concerns Over Effective Implementation

MRF, founded by the family of Molly Russell, a British teenager who took her own life after viewing harmful online content on Instagram and Pinterest, said a ban would fail to make children safer because they would circumvent age checks and could move to less regulated areas such as gaming.

Andy Burrows, the MRF chief executive, said a “rushed” ban would “quickly unravel” and was not supported by the evidence.

The Data Analysis

  • The government is planning to announce a ban before the Makerfield byelection on 18 June.
  • A consultation on children’s online safety, including whether there should be a ban for under-16s, closed only last week.

The Impact Analysis

The UK government is also consulting on other safety matters including whether there should be age restrictions on a range of app features, such as infinite scrolling, and limitations on the use of AI chatbots.

Beeban Kidron, the crossbench peer and a leading online safety advocate, said the reported government proposal was a “non-ban ban”. Lady Kidron accused ministers of soft-pedalling safety measures.

The Prediction

The government has pledged to move fast on implementing the safety consultation’s findings.

“We’ve been clear we are determined to act quickly, but we will do so in a way that is effective, enforceable and genuinely keeps children safe,” said a government spokesperson.