Leila Nathoo,<\/span>Political correspondent<\/span>and<\/span><\/p>\n Tabby Wilson<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Conservatives say they would ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms if they were in power, promising to follow the example of Australia, which was the first country to introduce the policy. <\/p>\n Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said if her party was in government, smartphones would also be banned in schools. <\/p>\n It has been a month since Australia’s ban on under-16s using major social media platforms came into force. <\/p>\n The Conservatives say that if elected, they would follow suit to try to protect children’s mental health and education, and to stop them from viewing harmful content online. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n The party wants social media companies including TikTok and Snapchat to use age verification tools to prevent under-16s from accessing their platforms. <\/p>\n The Tories say the scope of the policy would be kept under review. <\/p>\n Badenoch said the age restriction would protect children while still giving adults choice. <\/p>\n Separately the NASUWT teachers’ union also called for a similar ban (after taking evidence from its members). <\/p>\n The government does not currently support the idea but insists it is taking action to ensure children are able to access only age-appropriate content online.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20251210-151139-37baf2dfdd-web-2.36.1-1\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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