LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok need to take action to stop young users wasting hours mindlessly scrolling never-ending videos, British Prime Minister
UK Pushes Social Media Platforms to End Addictive Scrolling for Children
Government Actions and Global Context
Prime Minister's Call for Change
LONDON, April 13 (Reuters) - Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok need to take action to stop young users wasting hours mindlessly scrolling never-ending videos, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.
Proposed Restrictions and Ongoing Tests
Britain, like other countries https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-europe-countries-move-curb-childrens-social-media-access-2026-04-08/, is considering restricting access to social media for children and it is testing nL1N40C0OY bans, curfews and app time limits to see how they impact sleep, family life and schoolwork.
Consultation on Age Ban
"We're consulting on whether there should be a ban for under 16s," Starmer told BBC Radio. "But I think equally important, the addictive scrolling mechanisms are really problematic to my mind. They need to go."
Algorithmic Addiction Concerns
Social media companies had designed algorithms that were intended to encourage addictive behaviour, and parents were asking the government to intervene, Starmer said.
International Moves to Protect Children
Global Bans and Regulations
Australia in December became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16, with Greece and Indonesia also enacting similar bans.
Public Consultation and Feedback
Responses and Participation
More than 45,000 people had already responded to its consultation on children's online safety, the UK government said, adding that there was still time to contribute before a deadline of May 26.
Government Appeal for Input
Parents' and Teenagers' Perspectives
"We want to hear from mums and dads who are worried about the amount of time their children spend online and what they are viewing," Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said on Monday.
"We want to hear from teenagers who know better than anyone what it is like to grow up in the age of social media. And we want to hear from families about their views on curfews, AI chatbots and addictive features."
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)
