- Safiu Kehinde
The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has declared ban on social media usage by children below the age of 16.
Starmer made the declaration while addressing other government officials and newsmen in Downing Street on Monday.
The Prime Minister decried the negative impact of social media on children as he maintained that a full ban willl be reinforced.
“Today, I announce that the government will ban access to social media for all children under the age of 16.” He said.
Starmer, according to the BBC, said he will not compromise on the “safety and happiness of our children”, accusing platforms of being “designed to be addictive” with features that “lock you in for hours”.
He also claimed that the sweeping changes will “give kids their childhood back”, outlining measures against Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and other platforms, as well as gaming sites that allow strangers to contact children.
“It is clear to me a full ban is the right choice,
“It will make a huge difference, it will make our children safer, it will make our children happier, it will give them more time, more security, more freedom to grow up, more opportunity”. He said.