Rejected petition Reject a social media ban for under-16s and change the minimum age to 13 instead

We call on the Government to reject proposals to ban under-16s from social media. The Government should maintain the digital age of consent at 13 and focus on enforcing the Online Safety Act instead of implementing a blanket ban that removes digital autonomy for 14 and 15-year-olds.

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A ban for under-16s risks isolating teens who rely on social media for community and education. At 13, teens should begin developing digital literacy under parental guidance, not state prohibition. The Government is currently consulting on this, and we believe education and safety features are better solutions than a ban that restricts the rights of millions of young people.

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.

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You may wish to sign this petition, which calls for similar action: "Government ban on social media to be for under 13s only" https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/757849

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

Date submitted 25 January 2026
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