Under-16s will be banned from using social media, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced.

Starmer says social media is making children unhappy, making it easier for bullies to abuse children, and is “designed to be addictive”. A ban would give children more time, security, and more freedom to grow up - as well as more opportunities, he adds.

“That is all any parent wants. They want to know that Britain will be better for their children, that they will get a fair chance,” the PM says in a speech in Downing Street.

Starmer adds that the government is “not prepared to compromise” on the safety and happiness of children - and that includes in the regulation and enforcement of this ban. He says the government has listened to and learned from countries like Australia, where a similar ban has already been introduced.

  • Siegfried@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    If you use it to access government services it’s a thing, but using it to block the underaged from accessing social media it’s a very different situation.

    • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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      1 day ago

      If you use credit cards to block underage from accessing social media it’s also a different situation. Do you have a credit card?

      • Siegfried@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        Yes, but i dont use it to open up an online forum. The problem isn’t the identification itself but when and why do i need to be identified. I thought this was clear.

        This conversation is becoming silly. If you dont value your privacy online, thats your thing. I would drop internet usage to the minimum if i ever need to identify myself to use trivial shit like gaming or accessing social media.

          • Siegfried@lemmy.world
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            22 hours ago

            Sorry, i edited my comment on the way and didnt thought you would see it so quickly.

            But we arent debating the existance of IDs but their implementation for accessing social media. Nobody would argue the usefulness of credit cards identifying who is doing the purchase, or as you said, using it to validate a signature.

            The problem is the usage not the IDs themselves

            • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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              15 hours ago

              The problem is the usage not the IDs themselves

              I agree but the general attitude seems to be “digital ID bad!”, without ever going into any details. People on lemmy are simply scared of digital IDs without understanding what those do.