Ministers open-minded on shape of UK social media limits, Phillipson says

Children in the UK will face restrictions on their use of social media but the government remains open-minded about what form the limits will take, Bridget Phillipson , the education secretary, has said. Phillipson told broadcasters on Tuesday she had concerns about the content that under-16s were exposed to online and the length of time they spent staring at screens. Late on Monday a junior minister told the Commons that the government would introduce “age or functionality restrictions” on social media for under-16s. There have been widespread calls for an Australia-style ban on children’s use of social media, and the UK government has begun a consultation on access for under-16s. Measures under consideration include age restrictions on social media as well as other services such as gaming sites and AI chatbots. However, the UK government had not made any firm commitments on likely action until the late intervention during wrangling to get the children’s wellbeing and schools bill through parliament. On Tuesday, Phillipson told Times Radio: “It’s not a question of whether we take further action to protect young people, it’s the shape of that action, what that looks like. …