Social media ban unenforceable, online safety charity warns
Key takeaways
- The government opened a consultation on children's social media use in January.
- He said the focus should instead be on banning features such as autoplay, infinite scroll, and the algorithms that "bombard" children with harmful material.
- Molly was 14 when she took her own life in 2017 after being exposed to self-harm content online.
Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.
Ella Kipling Getty Images. The government opened a consultation on children's social media use in January. A social media ban for under-16s would not be enforceable and the government should instead focus on restricting the features that make it addictive, the chief executive of an online safety charity has said.
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to share the government's online safety plans on Monday, following speculation over a potential blanket ban on under-16s accessing social media, as has been introduced in Australia.
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation which was set up in memory of Molly Russell, told BBC Breakfast he would be "dismayed" if the UK was to enforce a similar ban as the evidence "doesn't support" it.