Starmer’s plan to ban under 16’s from social media

I m certainly not against it, I believe our young people need protecting and I think Keir Starmer is trying, I believe he is a genuine man, but I know teens and pre teens and young teens and they are as sneaky as hell, (weren’t we all? I remember climbing out a window to meet a boy I had been told I mustn’t see) and if there’s a way round it they ll find it.

The sites need a much higher proof of age identity and parents need education and to set rules …..’I look at your phone once a week, you don’t use it at meal times, and not after 8 pm or whatever time is applicable, or what ever they feel necessary to apply. Not just buying it giving it and that’s the end of it

Parents have to be more aware of their young, and what they are doing, like all these young people that have drowned in the good weather, in lakes and pits, do parents not realise they have to teach their children about danger….

GrannyGravy13

Mamie

One of the recent Apple updates required proof of being 18 by passport, driving licence or credit card (not debit cards because you don't have to be 18) without which they would be blocked from certain content. It is a start.

I just had to tick the box that I was over 18 on the newest update.

No ID shown or asked for.

(Latest iPhone & iPad update)

Yes this is the latest version which depends on how long you have held the account.

With sad experience about my grandaughter being bullied it’s heartbreaking I personally as a retired teacher welcome any plans to eliviate this problem.

Norah

I agree.

Idea is good, media companies need to sort. I know not how.

No excuses with AI they can detect nudity and any offensive Text easily
It's all about how much money they are making

Mamie I have had my account since the beginning of Apple

Our GC all have phones on their parents accounts, as do most young people.

At the moment I just cannot see how this will work.

As for a curfew on 16-17yr olds of 9pm on social media, how on earth will KS sort that out 🤷‍♀️

Mamie

One of the recent Apple updates required proof of being 18 by passport, driving licence or credit card (not debit cards because you don't have to be 18) without which they would be blocked from certain content. It is a start.

I have an IPhone and IPad, I’ve not been asked for proof, just to tick a box. I’ve had Apple for at least 10 years.

I want it to work but I m very very dubious, to me the Pandora’s box is open!
But I think they are right to try, just don’t see how it will work older kids, older siblings, kids as young as 11 find ways of getting cigarettes and drink, they ve not mastered that yet what hope of this working !

GrannyGravy13

Mamie I have had my account since the beginning of Apple

Our GC all have phones on their parents accounts, as do most young people.

At the moment I just cannot see how this will work.

As for a curfew on 16-17yr olds of 9pm on social media, how on earth will KS sort that out 🤷‍♀️

Yes exactly that, so have we. So at first it was proof of being over 18 and then they with a new update they added in the length of time, so if you had held your account for over 20 years you are unlikely to be under 18. If children are using it, it depends how it has been set up by the account holder.
None of this is perfect, but at least they are trying.

Yes, try something, assess, improve, try again.

I fully support a social media ban for under 16s, but they haven't done that. They have introduced a partial social media ban. I actually thought this might be one government bill I could support, I was wrong.

Well the under sixteens are going to like, or forgive labour for bringing that in, partial or not, are they.

MT62

Well the under sixteens are going to like, or forgive labour for bringing that in, partial or not, are they.

Not 🤦‍♀️

"According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 25 countries have social media age restrictions in force, enacted, or under active consideration.

In Spain and Portugal politicians have announced plans and partly voted the rules in. Their bans are likely to come into force this year.

Governments in France, Malaysia, Denmark, Indonesia, Norway and Canada are also in the process of bringing in a ban.

Laws have been passed in several US states but these are being challenged in the courts."

Source BBC

He's only announced it today to try and deflect peoples thoughts away from his hideous decision not to give more money for the defence of the realm.

I would say that most under 16s will be horrified by this. In Australia over 60% of teens still have SM. And those that don't are in the younger teen group.

What I want to know is how they're going to police it? And if they do catch an under 16 doom scrolling on Tiktok, what happens?

SM is a vital tool. Schools use SM. Kids get their news from SM.

However, these teens could just go home and use their TV to get these apps, laptop notebook etc

This is also an opportunityfor new apps to spring up.

My grandchildren use it. 2 boys of 16 and 15. Who use SM , can't wait to see their reaction! but they are also very active, play sports, one loves chess (which he's in a group on SM that practice.) Duke of Edinburgh awards. SM hasn't ruined their lives. They would say it's enriched them.

This reminds me of tales my mum told me of my dad. Who used to think telephones were the work of the devil and refused to have one for years. As for television!!! No way would he get one. Eventually my grandparents bought us one and he'd cover the screen with a sheet of the Daily Telegraph.

The Internet is here . We can't pretend otherwise.

Also, why hasn't Keir banned Blue-sky?

Sorry for waffling. It's just annoyed me. Many are extremely frustrated with Keir and labour at the moment. With this move he's going to lose a massive amount of future voters for Labour.

It seems that KB is on the same page as KS re his plans. If we really care about our children and young people, we should across society be trying to make some sort of ban work. Being a naysayer is easy.

It’s also not coming in until next Spring so there will be plenty of time to address the issues people are concerned about

Don’t agree with your post at all NannyPT
I think it’s good that other countries are considering it too but I still not sure how it will work properly

It’s been on the table since November 2024

A possible ban on social media for under-16s in the UK is "on the table", the technology secretary Peter Kyle has told the BBC.
Speaking on the Today programme, on BBC Radio 4, he said he would "do what it takes" to keep people and in particular children safe online.
He also announced further research into the impact tech such as smartphones and social media was having on young people, claiming there was currently "no firm, peer-reviewed evidence".

So it’s hardly a sudden decision, but I think KS is discovering that once some of your party members and some of the GBP want you gone, nothing you do will be right, even if it’s something they’ve been asking for.

I’d like it to work, for several reasons, but apart from companies putting limitations on what can be accessed (and posters on here have already explained how that could be got round),
or parents being * both willing and able* to manage their children’s online access, I wonder what else would work.
(I’m not exactly asking a question there, just wondering, so there’s no need to answer.

I can't see it working, not allowing phones in school might? But under 16s don't buy their own phone so if the parents allow it hows the government going to make it work.
Personally my grandchild under 16 has a phone and her mother has control of it.
She checks the phone regularly and has taken snap chat off it. And not allowed Facebook etc. She has restrictions on friends and dosnt take it to school.
With all this its still useful for study and connecting with allowed friends.

Phones were banned at my grandchildren’s high school years ago. They were allowed to have them when they came out at the end of the day, luckily, because parents needed to contact them for where they would be parked at school pick up time. I had to wait until 3.30 pm for contact so I would send text messages and they knew to switch their phones on as soon as school was out.

nanna8

Phones were banned at my grandchildren’s high school years ago. They were allowed to have them when they came out at the end of the day, luckily, because parents needed to contact them for where they would be parked at school pick up time. I had to wait until 3.30 pm for contact so I would send text messages and they knew to switch their phones on as soon as school was out.

Yes, that is how it has worked for many British schools, for years. Nothing new there.

The Smartphone Free Childhood movement started in the UK and is certainly being promoted in Primary Schools where we live.
www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/

From AI.
Why Primary Schools are Going Phone-Free
Educators and parent communities largely agree on the necessity of this shift:
Focus and Learning:
Removing mobile phones eliminates distractions, helps concentration levels, and prevents unregulated online conflicts.Mental Health:
Experts and parents raise concerns about the negative impact of addictive algorithms and social media on developing brains.
Safety & Equality: Restricting phones during the school day prevents cyberbullying, protects vulnerable students, and ensures that expensive devices are not lost, stolen, or causing playground inequalities.
The Parent Pact and Community InitiativesParents are organizing at the grassroots level to sign "Parent Pacts"—pledges to delay giving their children smartphones until at least Year 9 (age 14) and social media until Year 11 (age 16). On the community level, formal school-wide policies developed alongside parents are widely considered the most effective way to manage these devices.
Official Government Guidance The Department for Education officially backs this push, issuing updated guidance stating that mobile phones have "no place in schools". The government has set out a requirement for all schools to be phone-free environments by default across the entire school day—including breaks and lunchtimes—with enforcement monitored through Ofsted inspections.
How to Check Your Local School
Policies are ultimately set by individual headteachers and governing bodies, though the baseline expectation is a total ban on smartphones during school hours.
If you are a parent: Check your local primary school's specific mobile phone policy on their official website.If you need contact: If a parent must be able to reach their child before or after school, most schools allow non-smart, screen-free "brick" phones to be handed into the front office at the start of the day.

Phones for children dont have to be smart phones with screens they can be simple that just do calls and texts and cost a fraction of the smart phones.