LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Britain is considering an Australian-style ban on social media for children under 16, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer warning on Tuesday they risk being pulled into "a world of endless scrolling, anxiety and comparison".
Starmer said the government was prepared to take robust action, a day after it announced it would examine whether features such as infinite scrolling and the age at which children can access platforms should be restricted and how such measures could be imposed.
"This is a hugely complex issue – so it's important it's properly considered," Starmer said on Substack.
Ministers are due to visit Australia, which last month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, to look at their approach. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said Britain was weighing the same age threshold as Australia.
While some see a ban as the clearest way to protect children, she said in parliament, others fear it could let platforms off the hook and push harmful activity underground. It could also deprive children of the positive sides of social media, she added.
The government is also considering stronger age checks and whether the current digital age of consent is too low.
Governments and regulators worldwide are looking at the risks of exposing children to social media, and the impact of screen time on their development and mental health.
The recent rapid explosion of AI-generated content online has exacerbated those concerns, highlighted this month by a public outcry over reports of Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot generating non-consensual sexual images, including of minors.
STARMER SAYS THERE IS MORE TO DO
The British government has already set out plans for an outright ban on artificial intelligence nudification tools, while working to stop children being able to take, share or view nude images on their devices, it said in Monday's statement.
The government said it was also considering removing features that could drive addictive use of social media.
Britain's recently enforced Online Safety Act, one of the strictest safety regimes, has increased the share of children encountering age checks online to 47% from 30%, and cut visits to pornography sites by a third, according to the government.
Starmer said childhood should not mean judgement from strangers or pressure to perform for likes, adding that "for too many today, it means being pulled into a world of endless scrolling, anxiety and comparison".
"We will work with experts to identify the most effective measures we can take to do more," he said, reiterating that "no option is off the table".
(Reporting by Muvija M and Sam Tabahriti; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Alexandra Hudson)
