Mental Health UK statement: Social media ban for under-16s is a critical first step, but children deserve stronger protections

There is growing evidence that social media can contribute to poor mental health in children and young people. Initial findings from the UK Government’s Growing Up in a Digital World consultation show overwhelming public support for stronger protections, with nine in ten parents backing a ban for under-16s.

However, the relationship between social media and mental health is complex. Social media can expose children to harmful content and unhealthy online experiences but can also provide connection, community and access to trusted support, particularly for young people who may otherwise feel isolated. That’s why any action must strike the right balance between reducing harm and ensuring children continue to have safe ways to connect with others. You can read more about both the benefits and challenges in our guide to Social media and young people’s mental health.

A ban should therefore be viewed as the first step towards broader action to improve children’s mental health and create safer online spaces – not as the complete solution.

Technology companies must be held to account

A ban for under-16s should not mean that social media companies are off the hook for making their platforms safe.

Many platforms are intentionally designed to maximise the amount of time people spend online through features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay and algorithms that can increase exposure to harmful or distressing content. Designing platforms that are safe by default for children and young people should be a priority for every technology company.

To achieve this, the UK Government should establish clear standards for what safe social media platforms look like. These standards should be developed alongside devolved governments, children and young people, parents and carers, and organisations that work directly with children and young people.

We also welcome the UK Government’s plans to strengthen the powers available under the Online Safety Act to hold technology companies to account. However, these powers must be properly enforced, regularly monitored and strengthened further where necessary to ensure they provide meaningful protection rather than simply existing on paper.

It is equally important that children and young people remain safe outside the platforms directly affected by any ban. Harmful content and online risks are not confined to a single group of social media services, making wider regulation and stronger accountability for technology companies essential.

Learning from international experience

The UK is not the first country to consider stronger restrictions on children’s access to social media. Evidence emerging from Australia’s social media ban demonstrates that implementing these measures requires careful planning and ongoing evaluation.

Policymakers across the UK should learn from Australia’s experience, as well as from other countries that introduce similar measures, to ensure that any ban effectively protects children from harmful online content while minimising unintended consequences.

Children and young people must help shape the solution

Children and young people are the people most affected by these changes, so their voices must be central to how any ban is implemented.

It is imperative that children, young people, parents, carers and the organisations that support them are meaningfully involved in shaping how the ban works in practice, what further action is needed to improve online safety and how these changes are communicated.

Listening to lived experience will help ensure that future policies are practical, proportionate and genuinely meet the needs of those they are intended to protect.

Online safety is only one part of supporting young people’s mental health

Reducing the harms associated with social media is important, but it will not improve children’s and young people’s mental health on its own.

Mental health is shaped by many different aspects of a young person’s life. Poverty, long waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and a lack of wider support in local communities continue to have a significant impact on children’s wellbeing. Future strategies and policy developments, including the Mental Health Strategy, should consider social media alongside these wider factors rather than in isolation.

We also want to see expanded mental health support for children and young people. This is particularly important for those who have relied on social media to find connection, peer support or communities where they feel understood. Any changes to children’s access to social media must ensure these young people are not left without alternative sources of support.

Particular consideration should be given to children and young people from marginalised groups, including disabled children and young people and others who may already face barriers to accessing support offline. For many, online communities have provided an important source of belonging and understanding, and this should be reflected in how future policies are designed and implemented.

Protecting children requires action on every front

Protecting children online is not simply about limiting access to social media. It also means creating safer digital environments, holding technology companies accountable for the products they design, listening to children and young people, and ensuring that every young person can access timely mental health support when they need it.

A social media ban for under-16s could be an important first step. But lasting improvements in children’s mental health will require sustained action across government, regulators, technology companies and mental health services to create a safer, healthier future for every child.