Overview
- The government’s 12‑week Growing Up In The Online World consultation closed on Tuesday after more than 70,000 responses and tested options from an Australia‑style ban for under‑16s to app curfews and limits on addictive features.
- Ministers have already taken powers to move quickly and have publicly committed to introducing «age or functionality» restrictions for under‑16s, with proposals due by summer and legislation planned before year‑end.
- The prime minister met bereaved families on Tuesday who have campaigned for tighter rules and told them the government will act quickly, reflecting rising political pressure from peers, ministers and some senior former ministers.
- Medical and policing bodies told the consultation that online content is causing serious harm to children, with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges comparing social media risks to smoking and police leaders warning the current online environment is unsafe.
- Campaigners and experts warn that age limits alone may be circumvented by tech‑savvy young people or push them to less‑regulated spaces, so some groups call for broader changes to platform business models, ad targeting, design features and stronger enforcement.