In a landmark move, the UK government has joined Australia in outlawing social media for children under 16. The ban, due to go into effect next spring, will include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. It comes after a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which warned that children are being continuously exposed to hateful, addictive and grossly distressing content online. The academy said concern over social media and smartphone use now ranks alongside smoking and not wearing seat belts as a unifying issue for the medical profession. The government acknowledges that a social media ban won’t solve every problem overnight, but it's a major step forward because millions of children will now get a few more years to grow up before entering online environments that were never designed with their well-being in mind.
