UK Considers Australia-Style Social Media Ban to Better Protect Children Online

The British government is weighing a range of new measures to strengthen online protections for children, including the possibility of introducing an Australia-style ban on social media for users below a certain age.

In a statement released on Monday, the government said it would examine evidence from around the world on a wide spectrum of proposals aimed at reducing online harms. Among the options under review is whether banning children from social media platforms would be effective, and if so, how such a policy could be practically enforced.

Ministers are expected to visit Australia, which last month became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on social media for children under the age of 16. The visit will allow UK officials to study the Australian model and assess whether a similar approach could work in Britain.

While the government did not specify a potential age threshold, it said it was exploring a ban “for children under a certain age” as part of broader efforts to improve online safety. Other measures under consideration include stronger age-verification checks and a review of whether the current digital age of consent remains appropriate.

The proposals come amid growing global concern about the impact of social media and excessive screen time on children’s mental health and development. Governments and regulators worldwide are grappling with how to limit exposure to harmful content while balancing digital freedoms.

Concerns have been heightened by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence-generated content online. This month, public outrage followed reports that Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot had generated non-consensual sexual images, including images involving minors, underscoring the risks children face in increasingly complex digital environments.

The UK government has already announced plans to ban artificial intelligence “nudification” tools outright. It is also working on measures to prevent children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images on their devices, according to Monday’s statement.

Officials are additionally considering limiting or removing social media features that may encourage addictive or compulsive behaviour, such as infinite scrolling and other engagement-driven design tools.

Britain’s Online Safety Act, one of the strictest digital safety regimes globally, has already led to measurable changes. The government said the share of children encountering age checks online has risen to 47 percent from 30 percent, while visits to pornography websites have fallen by around a third since the law was enforced.

“These laws were never meant to be the end point, and we know parents still have serious concerns,” Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said. “That is why I am prepared to take further action.”