Overview
- Teachers’ union NASUWT urged ministers to legislate a statutory under‑16 ban, citing survey findings linking social media to worsening pupil behaviour and mental health.
- Kemi Badenoch said the Conservatives would introduce an age limit if elected and require platforms to use non‑government‑ID age checks such as parental verification, biometric analysis or passport confirmation.
- Downing Street pointed to the Online Safety Act and existing guidance on restricting phones in schools, indicating no current plan for a blanket under‑16 prohibition.
- Australia’s December restrictions provided the template but exposed practical hurdles, with teenagers quickly bypassing age checks and researchers documenting workarounds.
- Meta reported more than 330,000 Instagram account lockouts in a week, plus 170,000 on Facebook and nearly 40,000 on Threads in Australia, while urging alternative verification via app stores.