UK ban on social media platforms should be first step to safer services for kids
The UK Prime Minister has today confirmed plans to block social media platforms from offering services to under-16s and to tackle high-risk features. 5Rights is calling on ministers to treat these measures as the first step in a broader strategy to ensure digital products are safe for children by design and by default.
The UK Prime Minister has today confirmed plans to block social media platforms from offering services to under-16s and to tackle high-risk features. The announcement reflects growing recognition that children are being exposed to unacceptable risks online and that voluntary action from technology companies and lacklustre enforcement by regulators has failed to deliver the changes families have been promised.
While today’s announcement marks an important shift in the debate, age restrictions alone cannot solve the underlying problem. Children continue to encounter harmful recommender systems, addictive design features and commercial practices that ignore children’s needs and prioritise engagement over wellbeing. Targeting only certain companies with age restrictions overlooks the reality that many of the design features which drive risk to children online are embedded across the wider digital environment, including within educational technologies and increasingly AI-powered products and services.
5Rights is calling on ministers to make clear that these measures represent the first step in a broader strategy to ensure digital products are safe for children by design and by default. That means robust enforcement of the Online Safety Act, strong accountability for companies that create foreseeable risks to children, and a regulatory framework that includes precertification for risky features and products before they reach the market.
Leanda Barrington-Leach, Executive Director of at 5Rights Foundation said,
“A ban or curfew may change who comes through the front door, but it does not change what is waiting for children inside. The Government should make clear that this is an emergency measure, not a long-term solution and that all companies exploiting children are in their sights.
“The real test is whether it drives companies to make their products safe for kids — and whether the Online Safety Act is properly enforced to protect children, not push them out of the digital world.”
