Meta · United Kingdom · YouTube · The Guardian Technology
Social media firms hit back as Starmer launches ban for under-16s in UK
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Britain’s plans to ban social media for under-16s will push teenagers towards more harmful platforms, the world’s biggest technology companies have said as ministers push to enact the new restrictions by next spring.
Key facts
- The government said on Sunday that nine in 10 parents backed a minimum age of 16 for accessing the apps in responses supplied to its “growing up in the online world” consultation
- Starmer announced the ban at a Downing Street press conference, despite having previously been sceptical about the idea
- Esther Ghey, the mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, said she was happy about the ban, saying it would “potentially save so many children’s lives
- Meta, YouTube and Snapchat have all criticised the ban, which was announced by Keir Starmer on Monday and would stop younger teenagers from using their services
Summary
Meta, YouTube and Snapchat have all criticised the ban, which was announced by Keir Starmer on Monday and would stop younger teenagers from using their services. A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said: “As we’ve seen in Australia, bans risk isolating teens from online communities and information, and driving them to unregulated alternatives that lack built-in protections and parental controls.” YouTube said in a statement: “Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services.” And Snapchat said: “Because most time spent on Snapchat is in private messaging between friends and family, an outright ban that disconnects teens from those relationships doesn’t make them safer, it may simply push them to less safe platforms.”