Sir Keir Starmer is weighing up an Australian-style social media ban for children aged under 16.
The Labour Prime Minister previously said he was ‘personally’ against the ban for teenagers but is understood to be ‘closely monitoring’ the policy.
The world-first law was introduced on December 10 by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and sees under 16s barred from Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch.
The social media platforms face fines of up to £25million if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove children’s accounts.
Earlier this month, the Prime Minister said ‘it’s more about how you control content children can see’ as he appeared to rule out introducing the scheme.
But Health Secretary Wes Streeting challenged his party to ‘think much more radically’ about online safety restrictions with social media now a ‘place of bullying, intimidation, sometimes misogyny, even radicalisation’.
Cultural Secretary Lisa Nandy last week admitted the Government were considering the ban but had concerns over ‘enforceability’.
Downing Street is now said to be ‘closely monitoring’ the policy.
Sir Keir Starmer is weighing up an Australian-style social media ban for children aged under 16
Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for children with sites ordered to take steps to prevent under 16s accessing accounts
Discussions have begun between Sir Keir and Liz Kendall, the Technology Secretary, about introducing a similar law if the Australian ban proves successful, according to The Telegraph.
A Government spokesperson said: ‘We understand parents’ concerns about the impact of social media on children, which is why we’ve taken some of the boldest steps globally to ensure online content is genuinely age-appropriate.
‘It’s important we protect children while letting them benefit safely from the digital world, without cutting off essential services or isolating the most vulnerable.
‘The Government is closely monitoring Australia’s approach to age restrictions. When it comes to children’s safety, nothing is off the table, but any action must be based on robust evidence.’
Mr Streeting on Sunday said children are able to access ‘the most extreme content’ and contrasted it to the difficulty he faced trying to get into a 15 or 18-rated film at the cinema as a child.