Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleProtesters demonstrated outside government offices and Meta's London headquarters, urging ministers to reconsider a proposed social media ban for under-16s. The group, Mad Youth Organise, argues that an age-based ban is not the solution and instead calls for action to curb the power of Big Tech. Demonstrators installed pink telephones playing messages from young people advocating for algorithm control, removal of addictive features, and an end to advertising on platforms. Mad Youth Organise, formed by young people affected by social media's impact on mental health, proposes a four per cent 'misery tax' on tech corporations' UK revenue. This proposed tax would fund mental health services and the creation of community-led platforms, aiming to address the youth mental health crisis without a 'knee-jerk reaction' ban. In fullProtesters say social media ban ‘isn’t the answer’ as they pile pressure on government to tackle Big TechThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

Campaigners warn against blanket restrictions and say focus should be on blocking teenagers from platforms with ‘risky’ features

All children should be blocked from infinite scrolling, disappearing messages and push notification features, Parliament's Education Committee has told the Government.