UK lawmakers vote to ban under-16s from social media, following Australia

The UK’s lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favour of banning under-16s from social media, facing a similar ban in Australia.

Britain’s Prime Minister said that he has taken a decision and has pledged to protect children against misuse of social media, but his government wants to wait for the results of a consultation due this summer before legislating.  

There have been calls across the opposition and the governing Labour party in the UK to follow the footprints of Australia, where social media ban already took place on December 10, 2025.  

  The amendment from opposition Conservative lawmaker John Nash passed with 261 votes to 150 in the House of Lords, co‑sponsored by a Labour and a Liberal Democrat peer.

“Tonight, peers put our children’s future first. His vote begins the process of stopping the catastrophic harm that social media is inflicting on a generation,” he said.  

Public figures and big stars including actor Hugh Grant urged the government to back the proposal, saying parents alone cannot access social media and are not able to set parental measures for children.  

Before 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 Labour MPs have urged Starmer to back a ban.

There has been wide action from child-protection groups stating that such a ban can create a false sense of security of children and they would not be aware of the happenings and the usage of the most important mode of communication.  

A YouGov poll in December found 74 per cent of Britons supported a ban. The Online Safety Act requires secure age‑verification for harmful content.