Social media ban for under 16s – explainer

The government has announced plans to ban social media platforms from offering services to under-16s, alongside new protections to stop children being contacted by strangers, exposed to harmful content, or targeted by addictive online features.

This decision wasn’t taken lightly and came out of the biggest consultation this government has carried out to date.

I spoke to a lot of children in locally and they agree that social media is harmful – mostly they just wanted to still be able to speak to their friends, which they will still be able to.

Parents told me they understand the harms and don’t want their children on socials, but felt they had no choice because all their friends are on them.

This move it evidence backed – research shows that teenagers who spend more time on social media have poorer mental health and that’s a huge problem in Blackpool.

Big Tech has had years to make its platforms safe for children and it’s failed so we need to act. It’s not about cutting young people off from the world. It's about them experiencing it. Giving them freedom to learn, play, build friendships and grow up without algorithms shaping every moment of their lives.