Britain鈥檚 upper house of Parliament voted today in favour of banning under鈥16s from using social media, raising pressure on the Government to match a similar ban passed in Australia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier this week that he was not ruling out any options and pledged action to protect children, but his Government wants to wait for the results of a consultation due this summer before legislating.
Calls have risen across the opposition and within the governing Labour Party for the United Kingdom to follow Australia, where under鈥16s have been barred from social media applications since December 10.
The amendment from opposition Conservative lawmaker Lord John Nash passed with 261 votes to 150 in the House of Lords, co鈥憇ponsored by a Labour and a Liberal Democrat peer.
鈥淭onight, peers put our children鈥檚 future first,鈥 Nash said. 鈥淭his vote begins the process of stopping the catastrophic harm that social media is inflicting on a generation.鈥
Before the vote, Downing Street said the Government would not accept the amendment, which now goes to the Labour-controlled lower House of Commons. More than 60 Labour MPs have urged Starmer to back a ban.
Public figures including actor Hugh Grant urged the Government to back the proposal, saying parents alone cannot counter social media harms.
Some child-protection groups warn a ban would create a false sense of security.
A YouGov poll in December found 74% of Britons supported a ban. The Online Safety Act requires secure age鈥憊erification for harmful content.
-Agence France-Presse
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