LONDON (AP) — Britain will ban children under the age of 16 from using a range of social media apps, including Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, to protect them from harmful content and excessive screen time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday.The ban, which is expected to take effect early next year, makes the UK part of a growing global movement to tighten online safety for children.Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements governing children's access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand, and South Korea are among other countries studying or developing similar approaches.“Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy,” said Starmer, who has two teenage children.“I’ve heard firsthand from families crying out for change, and we will do right by them.”The plan was met with a mixed reaction, with some praising Starmer for taking action and others questioning the effectiveness of a blanket ban.YouTube and Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — warned Monday that a blanket social media restriction could push children into unregulated spaces.“Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services,” a YouTube spokesperson said. Meta said a ban could drive teens to online alternatives without any parental controls.Starmer acknowledged the challenges and said some teens would try to find ways around the ban, but added: “I do believe we can enforce it.”He added: “Teenagers drink before they should, but we do not then say, ‘in which case let us abandon any attempt to stop them buying alcohol.’”The prime minister — who is under pressure from members of his own party to step down over what they see as poor leadership and could face a challenge from within the Labour Party in the coming days or weeks — said he is “not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.”Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.