Britain’s upper house of parliament voted Wednesday to ban under-16s from using social media, increasing pressure on the government to align with a similar ban passed in Australia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday he was not ruling out any options and pledged to act to protect children, but his government wants to wait for the results of a consultation planned for this summer before legislating.
Calls have been growing within the opposition and within the ruling Labor Party for the UK to follow Australia, where under-16s have been barred from accessing social media apps since December 10.
Opposition Conservative MP John Nash’s amendment was passed by 261 votes to 150 in the House of Lords, co-sponsored by a Labor and Liberal Democrat counterpart.
“Tonight, peers are putting our children’s futures first,” Nash said. “This vote marks the beginning of the process of ending the catastrophic damage that social media is inflicting on a generation.”
Ahead of the vote, Downing Street said the government would not accept the amendment, which now goes to the Labour-controlled Lower House of Commons. More than 60 Labor MPs urged Starmer to support a ban.
Public figures including actor Hugh Grant have urged the government to support the proposal, saying parents alone cannot counter the harms of social media.
Some child welfare groups warn that a ban would create a false sense of security.
A YouGov poll in December found that 74% of Britons supported a ban. The Online Safety Act requires secure age verification for harmful content.
