The United Kingdom has initiated formal discussions and a public consultation process to consider a complete ban on social media use for individuals under sixteen. The move, announced by Technology Minister Liz Kendall in the House of Commons, aims to safeguard children’s mental health and online safety. The consultation will run for three months, gathering opinions from parents, youth, and civil society representatives.

As part of the initiative, several measures are under consideration. These include making British schools ‘phone-free’ by default, empowering the education inspection body Ofsted to monitor compliance with phone-use policies, and requiring technology companies to remove addictive features or algorithms from their platforms. The proposal has gained attention following advocacy by Esther Gher, mother of teenager Briana Gher, who recently died by suicide.

The report notes that Australia became the first country to implement a similar ban in December 2025, providing a precedent for the UK’s current deliberations.