U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that his government will impose a ban on social media use for children under 16 years of age. The ban would apply to a range of social media platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal will not be included in the ban. There are also going to be limitations on AI tools, as AI 'romantic companion' chatbots will have to ensure they are only usable by people over 18. The U.K. joins a growing number of countries looking to safeguard kids online. Australia became the first to impose such a ban late last year, and other countries, including Canada, France, and Denmark, have started developing their own bans. 'Every parent can see it with their own eyes, social media is making children unhappy,' Starmer said during a press conference. 'It's making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health, exposing them to content that is dangerous because that's what grabs the attention. It's designed to be addictive, of course it is. Features like the infinite scroll, they're designed to lock you in for hours.'...

While the government had previously revealed that it was studying options around a ban, both the Guardian and the Financial Times said that Starmer is now ready to unveil the policy in a speech on Monday. Government sources told the Guardian that the U.K. ban will cover a similar range of social platforms as Australia, where TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X, Threads, Snapchat, Twitch, and Kick are all banned for users under 16. Other products, such as gaming apps, would not be banned outright, but for their younger users, they'd need to remove features like the ability to chat with strangers. The policy would also prohibit users under 18 from accessing romantic and sexual chatbots and seek to prevent late-night scrolling. The U.K. is one of a number of countries following Australia's lead by considering bans on social media use by children. The U.K. already passed an age verification law that was similarly touted as protecting the safety of children online. These bans come amidst growing discussion around the effect of social media usage on teens and children ' for example, the mother of murdered teen Brianna Ghey has called for a teen social media ban in the U.K. and said her daughter's eating order and self-harming behavior were 'significantly exacerbated by the harmful content she was consuming online.'...

Over the months, many countries have announced plans to restrict social media access for children and teens. Australia became the first to implement such measures at the end of last year, setting a precedent that other countries are now closely watching. Australia's regulations, along with other countries' proposals, aim to reduce the pressures and risks that young users may face on social media, which include cyberbullying, addiction, mental health issues, and exposure to predators. Of course, there are concerns about privacy regarding invasive age verification and excessive government intervention. Critics, including Amnesty Tech, have said such bans are ineffective and that they ignore the realities of younger generations. Despite this, many nations are moving ahead with proposed legislation. Australia became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16 in December 2025. The ban blocks children from using Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, and Kick. It notably doesn't include WhatsApp or YouTube Kids....

Like many young people of her generation, Fai Nur was what she called a 'chronically online teenager.' She obsessed over music groups, TV shows, and movies, and never missed the chance to talk about her interests endlessly online. When ChatGPT launched in 2022, she saw potential immediately. 'AI could finally let any user actually simulate any character, not just watch or talk about their favorite worlds, but live inside them,' she told TechCrunch. 'The role-play and immersion that fans had always wanted was suddenly possible at scale,' she said. She brought in her friend Amit Bhatnagar, who grew up building Minecraft games, and Pritesh Kadiwala, and the three of them began building Status AI: a gamified social media app where users can play any character in any universe. The app officially came out of stealth last year. To use the app, Nur said, users first craft a persona and are then transported into a social world built around them. 'A user can become a celebrity with millions of followers, step inside their favorite show or book, run for president, or go viral on the internet,' Nur said....