Overview
- At a press conference, the prime minister said the government needs to do more to protect children online and is considering options from app curfews to an Australia-style age ban, with a House of Lords vote due this week.
- More than 60 Labour MPs sent an open letter urging an under-16s prohibition modeled on Australia’s law and placing the onus on tech companies to block underage access.
- The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges launched a three-month review after clinicians reported severe harms linked to excessive screen time and online content, with its chair calling this the beginning of a public health emergency.
- A coalition including the NSPCC, the Molly Rose Foundation and bereaved families warned that a blanket ban is a blunt tool that could push teens to less regulated spaces and called for tougher enforcement of existing rules.
- Australia’s precedent is shaping the UK discussion, with the eSafety regulator reporting 4.7 million under-16 accounts blocked since December under new age-verification requirements and platforms facing significant penalties for non-compliance.