Use film-style age ratings to limit teens’ social media, say Lib Dems – BBC

Kate Whannel political reporter The Liberal Democrats have proposed introducing film-style age ratings to limit which social media apps children can access. Under the party’s plan, platforms that use addictive algorithmic feeds or host “inappropriate content” would be restricted to users over 16 years old, while sites with “graphic violence or pornography” would be rated 18-plus. This approach, the Lib Dems have argued, would “avoid the unintended consequences” of banning all under-16s from using social media, as advocated by the Conservatives. In recent days, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he is open to the idea of an outright ban, telling reporters that “all options are on the table”. He said he would be watching to see how a ban recently introduced in Australia was working. The new Australian law, which came into force in December, requires certain social media companies including Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, X and TikTok to take “reasonable steps” to keep children off their platforms. In order to ascertain a user’s age, the companies can use government-issued identity documents, face or voice recognition or analyse online behaviour to estimate a person’s age. The Conservatives have said that, if elected, they would follow the same approach as
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