All under 16s face social media BAN over ‘grotesque impacts’ on kids’ wellbeing

A SOCIAL media prohibition for under-16s is being considered by ministers due to the fact that of the imaginable “grotesque impacts” connected their wellbeing.

Tech Secretary Peter Kyle said helium was keeping “all options open” erstwhile pressed connected Britain copying an Australia-style crackdown.

He has commissioned authorities probe connected the interaction of online platforms connected youngsters and warned companies were not doing capable to support them.

The Cabinet Minister told Sky News: “I'm keeping each options open. The occupation is, astatine the moment, there's precise small evidence.”

Warning of however the harms kids are exposed to online tin “lead to nonaccomplishment of beingness successful definite circumstances”, helium said helium was “frustrated” tech giants are not doing enough.

He said: “So I'm trying to bash what I tin bash to find retired what the wherever the grounds is down the interaction that societal media has connected children, young radical and radical with vulnerabilities truthful that I tin physique I tin physique policies that sometimes mightiness beryllium strident policies.

“But they request to beryllium built connected steadfast evidence, due to the fact that the grounds conscionable simply isn't determination astatine the moment.

"And I'm unfastened minded arsenic to what that means going forward."

Teenager Molly Russell took her ain beingness aged 14 successful 2017 aft viewing harmful contented connected societal media.

Her decease sparked campaigning to cleanable up the internet, starring to the Online Safety Act that volition unit firms to instrumentality down damaging posts from their platforms.

Ofcom volition beryllium capable to good firms up to £18million for failing to region harmful contented from their sites.

Mr Kyle said helium had been speaking to politicians from Australia, which precocious imposed a societal media prohibition for under-16s.