British House of Lords in favor of social media ban for children under 16

The United Kingdom’s House of Lords has greenlit a bill banning social media and virtual private networks (VPNs) for kids under the age of 16.

Two amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill were passed by a majority.

261 Lords voted in favor of Amendment 94A, the amendment to ban social media for teenagers under 16, and 150 against.

The amendment isn’t backed by the UK government. However, the defeat in the House of Lords means that the House of Commons will have to consider the amendment.

Last week, the government announced that it would launch a consultation on whether to implement a ban on social media from being used by children under the age of 16.

During the consultation, the government intends to discuss numerous topics, including how to determine the right minimum age for children to access social media, a potential ban of social media for children “under a certain age,” explore how to implement better age checks so children can access suitable, harmless content, and restrictions on addictive features, such as infinite scrolling.

“Technology has huge potential to create jobs, transform public services, and improve lives,” Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, said in a statement.

“But we will only seize on that potential if people know they and their children are safe online. We are determined to ensure technology enriches children’s lives, not harms them, and to give every child the childhood they deserve.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to “just get on” with a ban, suggesting that any delay is a dereliction of duty and harmful to children’s mental health.

“Putting our children’s mental health first is the right thing to do. How much longer will we have to wait until the government agrees?” she said.

“Tonight, peers put our children’s future first. This vote begins the process of stopping the catastrophic harm that social media is inflicting on a generation. Medical professionals, intelligence officers, police officers, teachers, and hundreds of thousands of parents clearly demanded action, and the Lords have listened,” House of Lords member John Nash (Conservative Party) added.

The amendment that prohibits children from using a VPN service, Amendment 92, also known as the Child VPN Prohibition, was adopted by a vote of 207 in favor and 159 against.

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