Users
The U.K.’s Latest Shocking Ban for People Under 16 Is a Mess in More Ways Than One
June 18, 202611:30 AM
Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Daisy-Daisy/Getty Images Plus.
Keir Starmer, Britain’s notoriously flaccid prime minister, has shocked the nation by actually doing something impactful this week. On Monday, he gave a speech announcing that from spring 2027, everyone under the age of 16 in the U.K. will be banned from social media. This will include all the widely used platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. It comes after Meta and YouTube were found liable in March for intentionally making their products addictive and harming young people in the process. The ban—along with smart phones being banned in schools in the U.K. in April—is the end result of a government “consultation” on improving online safety for children. It was the second-largest government consultation in the country’s history, drawing 116,000 public responses. People have a lot of opinions about this. The most popular one doing the rounds on social media here right now is a teen who was asked by BBC News what she intends to do with all her newfound free time. “Stare at a wall,” she replied.
