United Kingdom Considering Under‑16 Social Media Ban

The United Kingdom is contemplating a ban on mainstream social media use for children under 16, a discussion spurred by ongoing enforcement issues with the Online Safety Act (OSA). Prime Minister Keir Starmer is observing Australia's under-16 ban for potential adoption, despite prior reservations. This debate occurs as regulators like Ofcom clash with X over compliance with the OSA's child safety and content takedown duties, with X warning the act infringes on free speech. Critics, like Sentinel CEO Aleksandr Litreev, argue such restrictions stifle digital literacy and mirror concerning censorship routes seen in countries like China. Concurrently, other nations are tightening online ID requirements; Australia is mandating age assurance for search engines by 2025, and Ireland plans to push for identity-verified social media across the EU. These developments contrast with the UK abandoning its centralized digital ID plan for work checks, though the focus on identity verification in social media suggests similar technologies may see broader deployment outside finance, where KYC rules already apply.

(Source：Cointelegraph)