{"id":78,"date":"2026-02-16T13:44:37","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T13:44:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/?p=78"},"modified":"2026-02-16T13:44:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T13:44:38","slug":"uk-government-proposes-new-rules-to-ban-social-media-for-under-16s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/?p=78","title":{"rendered":"UK Government Proposes New Rules to Ban Social Media for Under\u201116s"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The UK government is moving forward with a major proposal that could see <strong>social media banned for children under the age of 16<\/strong> as early as this year. This initiative has sparked debate across the country, with supporters saying it\u2019s needed to protect young people\u2019s wellbeing, while critics argue it could be restrictive and difficult to enforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the plan, ministers could have broad powers to impose restrictions on apps used by young people, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Requiring stricter age verification to prevent under\u201116s from signing up<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Limiting addictive features like infinite scrolling<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Restricting access to certain tools such as AI chatbots<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blocking circumvention methods like VPNs to stop kids from bypassing controls<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The proposals form part of ongoing efforts to strengthen online safety laws in the UK. They come after mounting pressure from campaigners and MPs who argue that social media platforms have not done enough to protect children from harmful content and mental health risks. Supporters say that removing access during critical developmental years could reduce exposure to cyberbullying, extreme content, and addictive design features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, not everyone agrees with the approach. Some critics believe that banning under\u201116s from social media could isolate young people socially or push them toward unregulated platforms where there is even less oversight. They argue that education, better moderation tools, and improved support services might be more effective than an outright restriction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the government works on finalising the details \u2014 potentially via amendments to existing legislation \u2014 the debate continues between safeguarding digital wellbeing and balancing freedoms and social connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blessed Link LTD will continue following this developing story as more details emerge on how it could shape the future of digital life for young people in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Category:<\/strong> UK News \/ Technology \/ Society<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The UK government is moving forward with a major proposal that could see social media&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology-society"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=78"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79,"href":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions\/79"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=78"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=78"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blessedlink.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=78"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}