LONDON

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is considering an Australian-style social media ban for children under the age of 16, according to local media on Sunday.

Starmer's office is "closely monitoring" the policy banning social media for children, although the prime minister previously said he was "personally" against the blanket ban for teenagers.

On Dec. 10, Australia became the first country to implement a ban on social media for children aged under 16.

The Telegraph reported that discussions are ongoing between Starmer and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall on introducing a similar practice if the Australian scheme were to prove effective.

However, sources told the British daily that a decision is a long way off.

"We understand parents’ concerns about the impact of social media on children, which is why we’ve taken some of the boldest steps globally to ensure online content is genuinely age-appropriate," a government spokesperson was quoted in the report as saying.

Meanwhile, speaking to The Observer on Sunday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the government should think "much more radically" about online safety because social media has been a place of "bullying, intimidation, sometimes misogyny, even radicalization."

In a bid to protect users, including children, the UK introduced the Online Safety Act in 2023, a new set of laws that protects children and adults online by putting a range of new duties on social media companies and search services, making them more responsible for their users’ safety on their platforms.