Kendall's Statement on Kids and Social Media

Madam Deputy Speaker, today marks a defining moment for our children, and future generations.

As we lay the foundations for a new settlement for the online world.

To ensure children have the best start in life.

To give them freedom to be children again.

And so we put power back into parents' hands.

Up and down the country parents are grappling with social media.

What their children are seeing. How much screen time they should have. Who they are communicating with. And if they are safe.

Many children love connecting and interacting on social media. But others struggle with their mental health, concentration and self-esteem.

And the police, children's charities and far too many tragically bereaved families have seen for themselves the serious risks and harm social media brings.

While these concerns are widely shared, there are different, often strongly held views about the best way forward.

That is why we launched our consultation on growing up in the online world, to make sure everyone's voices were heard.

The response has been overwhelming.

We've had 116,000 replies. Including 54,000 from parents and 14,000 from children.

We've heard from charities, teachers' organisations, the police and medical professionals.

And from countless members of Parliament too.

Not only the Science and Technology and Education Select Committees, but individual Members including the Hon Members for Plymouth Moor View, Croydon East, Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline and Dollar and so, so many more besides.

The progress report we publish today sets out lots of different perspectives.

But overwhelmingly our consultation showed parents and children are concerned about what they're being exposed to online.

Harmful content. Content that is completely inappropriate for their age. Abuse and exploitation. They are worried about the impact on sleep, school, children's physical health, and their emotional wellbeing too.

Above all, parents are crying out for change.

9 out of 10 who responded to the consultation told us they want an outright ban on social media.

As did three quarters in our large-scale representative survey and 113,000 parents who signed Daisy and Joe's Smartphone Free Childhood petition.

Keeping children safe online has been my top priority since day one in this job.

I've listened to calls, especially from bereaved families, that we need to act as quickly as possible.

So today I can announce our first steps, with more to come next month.

And I can confirm, we will ban social media companies providing their services to under 16s.

And we are doing this to give greater protections to children.

Greater clarity for parents and carers.

And to set a new social norm for future generations.

My intention is to lay regulations on a ban, and have a vote on it, by the end of this year.

With the ban coming into effect early 2027.

We plan to use the same model as Australia, covering:

User-to-user platforms that allow users to post material, alongside algorithms.

So our ban will include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.

Because we want to make sure we don't include educational services, e-commerce platforms or music streaming, there will be a narrowly defined list of exemptions. Which we will of course keep under review.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I have also listened to parents to civil society and to many MPs in this House, including the Members for Putney, Lowestoft, Congleton, and Newcastle upon Tyne about the need to go further.

So I can today announce our first steps in restricting a wider range of features and functions that create risks for young people.

Because it can open the door to vile child abuse, we will ban livestreaming for under 16s across all platforms.

And we will ban communication with strangers, including in gaming, to stop paedophiles meeting and grooming children.

And Madam Deputy Speaker we are not stopping there.

AI chatbots are a top concern of parents who responded to our consultation, particularly those that mimic intimate relationships and exploit vulnerabilities.

The Children's Commissioner, and my Hon Friends the Members for Aylesbury and Milton Keynes Central, have also raised this issue.

So today Britain is becoming the first country in the world to ban chatbots that offer sexualised content to under 18s.

And we will restrict this functionality on general purpose chatbots too.

We know there are also really serious concerns about other AI chatbots, like therapy apps.

But I recognise that some of these may have benefits, so I am working closely with the Department of Health, and others, to assess the evidence.

And I will come back to the House on this issue - and wider measures on AI chatbots - in a further statement next month.

Madam Deputy Speaker, we also want to address concerns about a "cliff edge" when you turn 16 - an age when many young people should be especially focused on their futures, and on exams.

So I can today announce live streaming, and stranger communication including in gaming, will be switched off by default for 16- and 17-year-olds.

I am also strongly minded to bring in default overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for 16- and 17-year-olds.

And I will set out