Overview
- The House of Lords approved an amendment to the government’s schools bill to bar under‑16s from major social platforms, passing by 261–150, though the government says it will seek to overturn it in the Commons.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer signaled that no option is off the table but that the government will gather evidence first, with a formal response to the consultation expected by the summer.
- The consultation will explore tougher age checks, possible curfews, curbs on features linked to compulsive use such as infinite scrolling, and a full ban on AI ‘nudification’ tools.
- Ministers will study Australia’s model, where a December law put enforcement and heavy fines on companies and spurred rapid removals, including Meta’s reported deletion of more than 544,000 suspected underage accounts.
- TikTok has begun rolling out AI-based age detection in Europe, developed with Ireland’s data regulator, with human review and appeals via ID, credit card or selfie, as industry voices warn of privacy trade‑offs and evasion risks.