The Conservative Party has unveiled a significant new policy pledge, promising to ban access to social media platforms for all children under the age of 16 if they win the next election. The announcement, made on Sunday 11 January 2026, marks a substantial escalation in the party's approach to online child protection.
A New "Age of Consent" for Social Platforms
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch framed the proposal as raising the "age of consent" for social media use, aiming to shield young people from harmful content. She stated the policy was designed to protect children from exposure to extreme pornography, violent material, and predatory adults, while preserving freedom for adults.
"As a mum, I know parents are under real pressure online," Ms Badenoch said. "Our policy is simple: clear rules for children, but freedom for grown-ups. This is not about censoring adults or demonising social media companies, it's about helping people to take responsibility."
Going Further Than School Smartphone Bans
This commitment represents a clear shift from the Conservatives' earlier position, which focused solely on banning smartphones in schools. The government had previously rejected a blanket school smartphone ban, arguing it was a matter for individual headteachers. The new, wider-ranging social media ban underscores growing concern over the amount of time children spend online and the nature of the content they encounter.
The party cited evidence showing children are spending record time online, frequently being exposed to damaging material. The policy would require platforms like TikTok and Snapchat to implement robust age-verification. Acceptable methods could include parental verification, biometric facial analysis, or passport confirmation, but the Tories explicitly stated the system would not rely on a government digital ID.
International Context and Support
The Conservatives pointed to similar actions abroad to justify their plan. Australia has already raised the social media age limit to 16, while Malaysia has announced its intention to follow suit. Nations including Denmark, France, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, and Greece are also considering imposing restrictions.
The policy announcement follows a Sky News report detailing how an 18-year-old is living with PTSD after seeing a recording of a suicide at age 12. It also comes in a week where platform X, owned by Elon Musk, faced severe criticism after numerous users reported seeing AI-generated sexual images of themselves via its Grok tool.
Jane Rowland, co-founder of the advocacy group SafeScreens, welcomed the proposal: "For too long, the social media companies have had unrestricted access to our children's lives... This bold initiative marks a turning of the tide against social media's exploitation of children and their data."
Sky News has approached Downing Street for comment on the opposition policy.
