The Government will consider the impact of legislation implemented abroad as well as the views of both parents and young people before determining its approach
The Government has launched a consultation on limiting minor’s access to social media and use of phones in schools
On 19 January 2026, the UK Government, via the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Department for Education, launched a consultation on restricting children’s access to social media and use of mobile phones in schools. The proposals follow weeks of national debate over a rise in AI-generated illicit content spread over X, which is currently under investigation by Ofcom under the Online Safety Act, and predate a vote in the House of Lords to include a social media ban for under-16s in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The Government has stated its intention to overturn the social media ban amendment in the House of Commons, pointing to its public consultation as the appropriate avenue for potential reform. The Government has also emphasised its desire to see widespread participation from parents, young people and civil society in a “national conversation” about children’s use of technology as it prepares to respond to its consultation in the summer of 2026.
DSIT will study the impacts of Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Act
Through its consultation and further research to be conducted by DSIT, the Government aims to investigate a range of options for intervention on children’s social media usage. This study will include consideration as to whether and how to prohibit children from using social media, and ministers will visit Australia to gather information on the under-16s ban implemented there through the Social Media Minimum Age Act in December 2025. The Government also references the possibility of raising the digital age of consent, a change already made by a number of EU Member States within the limits of the GDPR, as well as regulating addictive or problematic social media features, including infinite scrolling and video auto play, which would reflect steps already taken by legislators in New York and California in the US. These plans mark a quick evolution from the Safer Phones Bill, which was introduced in Parliament as a Private Member’s bill in October 2024. It was amended at the request of the Government in March 2025 to remove its original requirement to raise the age of digital consent in the UK from 13 to 16, and only would have required the Government to study the matter over the course of a year if it had been adopted. Though the Safer Phones Bill and the Australian Social Media Minimum Age Act set limits for social media access at age 16, the Government will seek input on an appropriate minimum age for social media services alongside asking for further input on effective age assurance methods to enforce age-based restrictions on these services.
Parents and school leaders will be empowered and expected to take greater responsibility for children’s digital well-being
The Government has also proposed a series of measures to empower parents to better monitor their children's digital lives and to direct schools to be more responsive to the challenges posed by social media and smartphones. The Government will produce guidance for parents on limiting screen time for children aged 5 to 16 to complement the guidance on screen time for under-5s expected in April 2026. The consultation considers further measures to assist parents, including additional guidance or requirements for simpler parental controls on digital devices and services. Schools will be expected to operate as “phone free by default”, including restricting access to phones during breaks and lunch periods, as well as during instructional time. Schools in need of support in enforcing phone bans will receive additional assistance from Attendance and Behaviour Hub schools that have successfully implemented restrictions. Interventions to limit children’s access to devices appear limited to this context, however, with no mention made of banning children from owning smartphones more widely.
Other European countries have begun to coalesce around 15 as a minimum age for the use of social media
The UK is just one in a growing list of countries reassessing the relationship children have with digital services as support for banning minors' access to some platforms has reached fever pitch in Europe. On 26 January 2026, the French National Assembly voted to approve a ban on social media for under-15s, which could come into effect as soon as 1 September 2026. The bill is awaiting approval of the French Senate but has the backing of Emmanuel Macron (President, France). On 30 January 2026, the new coalition Government of the Netherlands unveiled its plans to ban under-15s from social media, pending legislative approval, while the Spanish Government is looking to implement a similar ban to protect under-16s from the "digital Wild West". Both Norway and Denmark also advanced plans to ban under-15s from accessing social media in 2025, with the recently concluded Danish presidency of the Council of the EU leading Member States in signing the Jutland Declaration, which included a provision supporting an EU-wide digital age of majority. Though the UK would not be subject to any EU-wide minimum age, as is also proposed by the European Parliament, social media firms, including Meta, have previously expressed support for a harmonised approach to restrictions if they are adopted.
