In an attempt to tighten online protections of children, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday that Britain was considering an Australian-style ban on social media. Bringing the concern of the increasing danger of screen time overindulgence, Starmer remarked that children are being sucked into a world of endless scrolling, worry and comparison that have serious implications on the development of their mental health and overall growth.
The Prime Minister indicated that the lab government is ready to act in a firm and decisive manner to deal with the problem. His remarks were a day following the announcement by the government that it would look at whether some features of social media like the aspect of infinite scrolling should be limited and whether the age at which children access the media should be reviewed. It is also in the interest of the government to evaluate whether the present digital age of consent is low.
The government officials stated that it will investigate evidences all over the world and then make a final conclusion. Some of the ideas that have been suggested include an eventual prohibition of social media use by children below a certain age, enhanced age-checking mechanisms, and stricter measures on the features in the platforms that allow children to use them longer. It is a massively complicated matter and, as such, it should be given due thought, Starmer wrote a post on Substack.
Ministers are also to visit Australia that became the first country to appear to have nationwide banned social media among children under the age of 16 last month. The visit is expected to learn how the policy was designed, implemented, and enforced and to assess the early impact of the policy.
The initiatives are proposed following a rising global concern on the influence of social media on young users. The issue of balancing access to digital devices and child safety among governments and regulators the world is struggling with as the research is showing that excessive screen time, among children, is being associated with anxiety, poor attention, and mental health issues.
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