- The Prime Minister announced sweeping reforms to ban under-16s from social media platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat from as early as next spring.
- The new rules will prevent children under 16 from joining user-to-user platforms, livestreaming, or communicating with strangers, while AI chatbots simulating romantic or sexual relationships will require users to be 18.
- While welcomed by the NSPCC as a "win for children and parents", the ban has faced criticism from campaigners and MPs.
- Critics argue the ban is a "missed opportunity" that risks driving young people into "darker places" online and fails to hold big tech companies accountable.
- Concerns also include the potential negative impact on marginalised young people who use social media for support, and the ban's implications for 16 and 17-year-olds' access to information for democratic engagement.
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