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A social media ban for under-16s is “not on the cards at the moment”, the technology minister has said.
It comes as the government seeks to limit harms for young people online, with new laws coming into force next year that will put more responsibility on social media platforms to protect users.
While Peter Kyle on Wednesday said “everything is on the table” when it comes to regulation, he has since said a ban for under-16s is “not my preferred choice”.
“There’s no work programme at the moment on banning smartphones to children”, he told the Guardian as he met a group of teenagers at the NSPCC headquarters in London.
Childline operators take around 10 calls a day from children suffering harms from social media.
The back and forth over the proposal follows legislation introduced by the Australian government which will ban social media for under-16s, imposing some of the toughest controls by any country to date.
“I’m in touch with the government in Australia to see what, if it is, they’re basing it on [and] why they’re doing it,” Mr Kyle said.
The main risk he is seeking to tackle is of deaths of children as a result of social media.
“I’ve met parents of children who have either committed suicide or the murder has been instigated via online activity. I get a lot of parents writing to me saying ‘just stop this kit getting into my kid’s hands’”, he said.
Mr Kyle has ordered new research into the harms of social media, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he plans to “do what it takes to keep people, particularly children and people with vulnerabilities, safe online.”
“The overall philosophy I’m trying to move towards is one where safety is baked in from the outset. So in other words, algorithms are there to protect people, not to exploit vulnerabilities”, the technology secretary said.
The Safer Phones Bill, which will be debated in March, was proposed by Labour MP Josh MacAlister and includes a mechanism for banning social media for under 16s.
Mr Kyle is also expected to call on Ofcom to report back to him on its progress with the Online Safety Act – new legislation being finalised by the regulator that will come into force in the spring and will put more responsibility on tech companies to protect children online and remove illegal content.
The Department for Science, Technology and Innovation has been contacted for comment.
