The UK is being urged to rethink its planned under-16 social media ban after an expert revealed that Australia's similar scheme "fell apart in two weeks". Australia's world-first ban, introduced in December last year, blocked children from 10 major social media sites. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it aimed to let "children have their childhood" and give "parents peace of mind."
UK follows Australia's lead
In March, the UK launched a consultation on a similar ban, and on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer announced it would be introduced next spring alongside other online safety measures. However, Professor Kathy Modecki from the University of Western Australia, who is studying the ban's impact, said the scheme quickly lost its effectiveness.
Young people bypass restrictions
Prof Modecki told Metro: "I hear from young people that the first two weeks was a bit of a puzzle – what’s going to happen, what’s this going to look like? And then after two weeks, it was sort of like it never occurred." She added that dodging age verification measures "started as a game and now it’s not even a game," with children using cat filters and drawing moustaches to fool facial recognition.
UK government's response
The UK government said it will ask Ofcom to investigate highly effective age assurance (HEAA) systems to avoid similar failures. Online Safety Minister Kanishka Nurayan said: "If you get new technology to check ages better, we will include those." Until then, companies can use facial recognition, official ID checks, and account history to verify ages. Prof Modecki described this as a "whack-a-mole" approach.
Expert questions ban effectiveness
Prof Modecki questioned whether an outright ban is better than forcing social media companies to remove harmful content. She said: "I’m hoping the conversation turns from looking at kids and their parents as mediators of this risk. The companies themselves, who are serving up the risks, somehow are allowed to say, ‘We’ve done what we can.’ There’s no other area of our life where we would allow that."
Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly died after seeing harmful content online, also supports tighter regulations rather than a full ban.
Risks of banning social media
Prof Modecki warned that a ban could cut off vulnerable young people from vital support. "Some young people do find social support, confirmation of identity, and health information, and they tend to be those who have less resources physically at home. So are they going to be sort of cut off from those spaces?"
Minister Nurayan said the government concluded that the "overall sum of the downside was radically outweighing the opportunities" of social media for young people. He acknowledged the benefits but stressed the lack of control families feel over risks.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has been contacted for comment.
