Rejected petition Ban social media access to children under the age of 16

Government to ban children from using social media platforms until the age of 16 and issue penalties to social media providers who allow children to access the platforms.

More details

Social media should be banned for under-16s to protect mental health, safety, and development. Platforms fuel anxiety, addiction, and low self-esteem, expose children to cyberbullying and exploitation, and harm focus and sleep. Young users can’t fully grasp data privacy or online risks. A ban lets teens mature, build real-world skills, and use social media responsibly later.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.

You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:

Ban social media for under-16s to protect children
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/710283

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 30 October 2025
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