Jeremy Allen White has backed the UK government’s decision to ban children under 16 from accessing major social media platforms, describing it as a “great” step forward.
The proposed ban, announced by prime minister Keir Starmer on Monday, is aimed at limiting children’s exposure to addictive algorithms, harmful content, and excessive screen time.
“It’s remarkable how addictive this stuff is,” White told Variety at the premiere of the final season of The Bear.
“I think there needs to be a correction. It’s never going to go away, but I do think there needs to be boundaries or guidelines at a certain point. And I hope there is some kind of slide back into more of an analog approach in life. Because this is all moving very fast and it’s a little scary.”
Starmer said on Monday that the government would “ban access to social media for all children under the age of 16”, as it is making children unhappy”.
Under the proposed legislation, children under 16 will be barred from creating or maintaining accounts on major social media platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. Messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal will not be included in the social media ban.
AI chatbots and gaming services could also face restrictions on their functions for certain age groups, while not being explicitly banned.
Social media companies will instead be required to implement age-verification systems to prevent under-16s from accessing the services.
The ban is expected to come into force in spring 2027, with enforcement overseen by Ofcom.
White, who is the father of two daughters aged seven and five, said his own children do not have personal phones or tablets, though they occasionally use devices belonging to him or their mother.
White will be seen next in The Social Reckoning, where he plays former Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, whose reporting helped expose internal Facebook documents linked to concerns about the platform’s impact on young users.
The forthcoming film, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, serves as a follow-up toThe Social Network and revisits the social media giant years after the rise of Facebook.
Jeremy Strong also stars as Mark Zuckerberg in the film, taking over the role played by Jesse Eisenberg in the 2010 original, while Mikey Madison plays former Facebook product manager-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen.
The UK is joining a growing number of countries that have chosen to restrict children’s access to social media. Australia became the first country to pass a nationwide ban on under-16s using social media in November 2024, requiring platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent minors from holding accounts.
In the US, several states including Florida and Utah have introduced age-verification laws and parental consent requirements for minors accessing certain online platforms, although some measures have faced legal challenges over free speech concerns.
Norway has also proposed raising the recommended minimum age for social media use from 13 to 15 as governments increasingly scrutinise the impact of algorithm-driven platforms on children’s mental health.
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