(NewsNation) — The United Kingdom announced it would be banning social media for kids under 16 years old, a decision meant to protect them from harmful content online and excessive screen time.
“It’s a big step for our country,” U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a video posted to X on Monday. “Social media is making our children unhappy and unsafe. I just can’t let that go on anymore, because our children deserve better. They deserve a happy, safe childhood in a stronger, fairer Britain.”
Starmer added he knew the decision was met with criticism and resistance and will be met with resistance from companies but vowed to “fight back and win” to give children their childhoods back.
Since the social media ban was proposed and announced early on, the U.S. Embassy in the U.K. spoke out against it in a news release, saying an outright ban would not work to address concerns about the harms of social media to children.
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“Technical methods developed to distinguish minors from adults cannot simply be repurposed for younger thresholds,” the statement read. The embassy also suggested other measures, such as using age verification tools.
However, the U.S. does not have a nationwide social media ban for kids. The one protection for kids online is the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which prevents companies from collecting the personal data of users under 13.
Some states have also moved to regulate social media for children, according to MultiState. Those states include Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee.
In Congress, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill in 2025 called the “Kids Off Social Media Act,” which would block children under 13 from making an account on social media and prevent algorithmic targeting for those under 17, among other guardrails. It is still on the Senate calendar and has not been voted on.
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