We knew ministers had been discussing the impact of sites such as TikTok and Instagram on young people’s wellbeing.
On Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden did not deny reports the government was actively looking at social media restrictions for under 16s.
A review of evidence was anticipated to start early in the new year, rather than a formal consultation. This could lead to new rules for the sector.
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It was understood the government’s most recent legislation in this area – the Online Safety Act – took so long to get on the statute book because a new review of potential harm to teens from social media was necessary.
But ultimately, that provision didn’t make its way into the final act, which passed in October.
While today Mr Dowden said no formal announcements had been made on the ban, he said that – from his time as digital secretary – he understood there was “a real worry from parents about how they can protect their children from the harms of social media”.
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It’s the strongest signal yet from the government that a change could be coming in the new year.
It is still unclear how such a ban would work and how it could be enforced.
It’s likely big tech firms would be invited as part of the consultation to explain how their security on sites protect young teens from online harm – possibly encouraging them to beef up any existing measures.
Critics see banning certain age groups as a blunt tool, but hope the threat of a blanket ban could push bigger tech companies into bulking up their online security tools.
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Mr Dowden explained today that banning seemed “unconservative”, but that they needed to “look at how we can protect children online and I think any reasonable government should do that”.
It may be that increased parental control could be one way to keep both companies and parents happy.
However, the looming general election may well leave less time for legislating – with attention focused on campaigning.
