{"id":11287,"date":"2026-01-11T09:04:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T09:04:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=11287"},"modified":"2026-01-11T09:04:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T09:04:22","slug":"tories-would-ban-under-16s-from-social-media-says-badenoch-uk-politics-live-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=11287","title":{"rendered":"Tories would ban under-16s from social media, says Badenoch \u2013 UK politics live | Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"liveblog-body\"><span class=\"dcr-90inr0\"><gu-island name=\"KeyEventsCarousel\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;keyEvents&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;696362c28f0816b5c3d09854&quot;,&quot;elements&quot;:[{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Geraldine McKelvie is a senior correspondent at the Guardian&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;c1dc7198-944d-48c6-90e7-5d6a611e0517&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;One of the UK\u2019s biggest teaching unions has called on the government to ban social media for under-16s over concerns about mental health and concentration.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;e15461b9-24ac-4def-b9d9-167b399cba29&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;The Teachers\u2019 Union (&lt;strong&gt;NASUWT&lt;\/strong&gt;) wants legislation to be tightened so big tech firms would face penalties for allowing children to access their platforms.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;1d10ed6b-91d5-4312-81b9-f3e19341c159&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;The online safety debate was thrust back into the spotlight this month when it emerged Elon Musk\u2019s Grok AI tool was digitally removing the clothing of women and children.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;77c961c3-2345-49fe-a50f-c1a887bab9b6&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;A pioneering social media ban for under-16s came into force in Australia last month, but its effectiveness has yet to be established.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;80d14a04-7653-43a3-b90b-974172e9981b&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;NASUWT said there was increasing evidence that unregulated access to social media was detrimental to children, affecting behaviour in school and harming mental health. It also said children were being harmed by exposure to violent and sexually explicit content.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\\n The union\u2019s general secretary, Matt Wrack, said:&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;1053e925-89cf-43b2-b85c-f0c22a8e3f9f&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;blockquote class=\\&quot;quoted\\&quot;&gt;\\n &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Teachers are dealing every day &lt;strong&gt;with the fallout of a social media landscape not originally designed and not suitable for children&lt;\/strong&gt;. &lt;a href=\\&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/social-media\\&quot;&gt;Social media&lt;\/a&gt; companies have shown time and again that &lt;strong&gt;they will not act responsibly unless they are forced to do so&lt;\/strong&gt;.&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\\n &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;If we are serious about safeguarding children, protecting their mental health and combating the behaviour crisis in our schools, then &lt;strong&gt;a statutory ban for under-16s must happen urgently&lt;\/strong&gt;.&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\\n&lt;\/blockquote&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;a3f39f0e-d34c-4b8e-858a-3d6028c5ad0c&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;You can read the full story here:&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;08958a1a-804a-49b6-84fa-46b993ac558d&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Ban social media for under-16s, top teaching union urges UK government&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;8f75b662-f688-4dc3-a3f8-849f838c9fb1&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;thumbnail&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2026\/jan\/11\/ban-social-media-for-under-16s-top-teaching-union-urges-uk-government&quot;}],&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;pinned&quot;:false,&quot;keyEvent&quot;:true,&quot;summary&quot;:false},&quot;blockCreatedOn&quot;:1768121622000,&quot;blockCreatedOnDisplay&quot;:&quot;08.53\u00a0GMT&quot;,&quot;blockLastUpdated&quot;:1768121807000,&quot;blockLastUpdatedDisplay&quot;:&quot;08.56\u00a0GMT&quot;,&quot;blockFirstPublished&quot;:1768121807000,&quot;blockFirstPublishedDisplay&quot;:&quot;08.56\u00a0GMT&quot;,&quot;blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone&quot;:&quot;08.56&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Ban social media for under-16s, top teaching union urges UK government&quot;,&quot;contributors&quot;:[{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Geraldine McKelvie&quot;}],&quot;primaryDateLine&quot;:&quot;Sun 11 Jan 2026 08.56 GMT&quot;,&quot;secondaryDateLine&quot;:&quot;First published on Sun 11 Jan 2026 08.53 GMT&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;69635bb48f0816b5c3d0983a&quot;,&quot;elements&quot;:[{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. The Conservatives have announced they would ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms if they were in government, amid growing concerns about young people\u2019s mental health, ability to concentrate and their easy access to harmful content online.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;6934b7ca-2a79-422b-bd28-fcf158526cb2&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;The Conservative party leader, &lt;strong&gt;Kemi Badenoch&lt;\/strong&gt;, also said phones would be banned in schools if the Tories came into power, arguing the move would help protect children\u2019s mental health and education.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;c11900db-01ca-47be-b39c-151d28825759&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;The party, which is heavily trailing in the polls, wants social media companies, including the hugely popular TikTok, and Snapchat, to use age verification checks to prevent under-16s from using their sites.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;1799f8fb-e72d-4d57-8954-417645cae145&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;It comes as the NASUWT teachers\u2019 union calls on the government to ban social media for under-16s to improve concentration at school and stem damage to mental health.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;d75fb0d5-6c8d-4a6a-8943-2c2d5c43ec03&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=\\&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2025\/dec\/09\/australia-under-16-social-media-ban-begins-apps-listed\\&quot;&gt;Australia\u2019s world-first social media ban for children&lt;\/a&gt; under the age of 16 came into effect last month. Under-16s there cannot use major social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, and have had their existing profiles deactivated and can\u2019t set up new 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under-16s have lost their access to major digital platforms.&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Australia\u2019s under-16s have lost their access to major digital platforms.&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Illustration: Victoria Hart\/Guardian Design\/Getty Images&quot;}},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;Several other countries are considering social media bans for under-15s after Australia\u2019s ban including &lt;a href=\\&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/oct\/07\/danish-pm-plans-to-ban-social-media-for-under-15s-warning-it-is-stealing-childhood\\&quot;&gt;Denmark&lt;\/a&gt;, whose government hopes to &lt;a href=\\&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/oct\/07\/danish-pm-plans-to-ban-social-media-for-under-15s-warning-it-is-stealing-childhood\\&quot;&gt;introduce a ban in 2026&lt;\/a&gt;, &lt;a href=\\&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/oct\/23\/norway-to-increase-minimum-age-limit-on-social-media-to-15-to-protect-children\\&quot;&gt;Norway&lt;\/a&gt;, and France, who &lt;a href=\\&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/dec\/31\/france-plans-social-media-ban-for-under-15s-from-september-2026\\&quot;&gt;reportedly&lt;\/a&gt; intends to ban social media platforms for children from the start of the 2026 academic year.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;cd9a7822-6514-456b-a3b7-7295eba99b4c&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;The UK Labour party has not entirely opposed the idea, saying \u201cnothing is off the table\u201d but has cautioned that any ban must be \u201cbased on robust evidence\u201d.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;792bef99-47eb-4756-af71-eb92b15f00de&quot;},{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement&quot;,&quot;html&quot;:&quot;&lt;p&gt;Kemi Badenoch will likely be grilled on the details of the proposed under-16s social media ban when she appears on the BBC\u2019s Laura Kuenssberg Sunday Politics programme shortly. We will bring you what is said then so stick with us.&lt;\/p&gt;&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;e51ede0f-bf63-4167-9032-0fc137df6cec&quot;}],&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;pinned&quot;:false,&quot;keyEvent&quot;:true,&quot;summary&quot;:false},&quot;blockCreatedOn&quot;:1768121622000,&quot;blockCreatedOnDisplay&quot;:&quot;08.53\u00a0GMT&quot;,&quot;blockLastUpdated&quot;:1768121676000,&quot;blockLastUpdatedDisplay&quot;:&quot;08.54\u00a0GMT&quot;,&quot;blockFirstPublished&quot;:1768121622000,&quot;blockFirstPublishedDisplay&quot;:&quot;08.53\u00a0GMT&quot;,&quot;blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone&quot;:&quot;08.53&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Conservatives would ban under-16s from social media if in power&quot;,&quot;contributors&quot;:[],&quot;primaryDateLine&quot;:&quot;Sun 11 Jan 2026 08.56 GMT&quot;,&quot;secondaryDateLine&quot;:&quot;First published on Sun 11 Jan 2026 08.53 GMT&quot;}],&quot;filterKeyEvents&quot;:false,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;key-events-carousel-mobile&quot;,&quot;renderingTarget&quot;:&quot;Web&quot;,&quot;serverTime&quot;:1768122200535}\"><span id=\"key-events-carousel-mobile\"\/><span class=\"dcr-90inr0\"><\/p>\n<p>Key events<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/gu-island><gu-island name=\"FilterKeyEventsToggle\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;filterKeyEvents&quot;:false,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;filter-toggle-mobile&quot;}\"><span id=\"filter-toggle-mobile\"\/><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-alru3r\"><label id=\"src-component-108459_description\" data-component=\"filter-key-events\" data-link-name=\"filter-key-events-on\" class=\"dcr-rrspei\"><button id=\"src-component-108459\" role=\"switch\" aria-checked=\"false\" aria-labelledby=\"src-component-108459_description\" class=\"dcr-dh5oqp\"\/>Show key events only<\/p>\n<p><span>Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/label><\/div>\n<p><\/gu-island><\/span><\/p>\n<article id=\"block-696362c28f0816b5c3d09854\" class=\"block dcr-1os4bxs\">\n<header class=\"dcr-88va8u\">\n<h2 class=\"dcr-1wl2b6o\">Ban social media for under-16s, top teaching union urges UK government<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-16bg4qr\">Geraldine McKelvie<\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>Geraldine McKelvie is a senior correspondent at the Guardian<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">One of the UK\u2019s biggest teaching unions has called on the government to ban social media for under-16s over concerns about mental health and concentration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Teachers\u2019 Union (<strong>NASUWT<\/strong>) wants legislation to be tightened so big tech firms would face penalties for allowing children to access their platforms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The online safety debate was thrust back into the spotlight this month when it emerged Elon Musk\u2019s Grok AI tool was digitally removing the clothing of women and children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A pioneering social media ban for under-16s came into force in Australia last month, but its effectiveness has yet to be established.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">NASUWT said there was increasing evidence that unregulated access to social media was detrimental to children, affecting behaviour in school and harming mental health. It also said children were being harmed by exposure to violent and sexually explicit content.<\/p>\n<p>The union\u2019s general secretary, Matt Wrack, said:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-154zxly\">\n<p><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 14\" style=\"fill:var(--block-quote-fill)\" class=\"dcr-scql1j\"><path d=\"M5.255 0h4.75c-.572 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941H0C.792 9.104 2.44 4.53 5.255 0Zm11.061 0H21c-.506 4.53-1.077 8.972-1.297 13.941h-8.686c.902-4.837 2.485-9.411 5.3-13.941Z\"\/><\/svg><em>Teachers are dealing every day <strong class=\"dcr-in3yi3\">with the fallout of a social media landscape not originally designed and not suitable for children<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/social-media\">Social media<\/a> companies have shown time and again that <strong class=\"dcr-in3yi3\">they will not act responsibly unless they are forced to do so<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>If we are serious about safeguarding children, protecting their mental health and combating the behaviour crisis in our schools, then <strong class=\"dcr-in3yi3\">a statutory ban for under-16s must happen urgently<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">You can read the full story here:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"f23e4c24-3be4-4f56-b98b-53eea2a32de5\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:8,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Ban social media for under-16s, top teaching union urges UK government&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;f23e4c24-3be4-4f56-b98b-53eea2a32de5&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;inline&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2026\/jan\/11\/ban-social-media-for-under-16s-top-teaching-union-urges-uk-government&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:11,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0},&quot;isInStarRatingVariant&quot;:false}\"\/><\/figure>\n<footer class=\"dcr-3i7iba\"><gu-island name=\"ShareButton\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;size&quot;:&quot;xsmall&quot;,&quot;pageId&quot;:&quot;politics\/live\/2026\/jan\/11\/tories-ban-under-16s-social-media-badenoch-uk-politics-live&quot;,&quot;hash&quot;:&quot;block-696362c28f0816b5c3d09854&quot;,&quot;queryParams&quot;:{&quot;page&quot;:&quot;with:block-696362c28f0816b5c3d09854&quot;},&quot;webTitle&quot;:&quot;Tories would ban under-16s from social media, says Badenoch \u2013 UK politics live&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:11,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0},&quot;context&quot;:&quot;LiveBlock&quot;}\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Tories would ban under-16s from social media, says Badenoch \u2013 UK politics live&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/live\/2026\/jan\/11\/tories-ban-under-16s-social-media-badenoch-uk-politics-live?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-696362c28f0816b5c3d09854#block-696362c28f0816b5c3d09854\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"-3 -3 30 30\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M19 16c1.675 0 3 1.35 3 3 0 1.675-1.325 3-3 3a2.97 2.97 0 0 1-2.975-3c0-.125 0-.275.025-.375L7.1 14.15a2.9 2.9 0 0 1-2.075.825C3.325 14.975 2 13.65 2 12a3.004 3.004 0 0 1 3.025-3.025c.775 0 1.5.35 2.075.875l8.95-4.475c-.025-.1-.025-.225-.025-.4A2.966 2.966 0 0 1 19 2c1.675 0 3 1.325 3 2.975C22 6.65 20.675 8 19 8c-.8 0-1.475-.325-2.05-.825l-8.975 4.45C8 11.7 8 11.825 8 12s0 .3-.025.375l8.975 4.45c.575-.5 1.25-.825 2.05-.825m0-12.8c-.975 0-1.8.775-1.8 1.775S18.025 6.8 19 6.8c1 0 1.825-.825 1.825-1.825S20 3.2 19 3.2m0 17.6c1 0 1.825-.825 1.825-1.8 0-1-.825-1.8-1.825-1.8-.975 0-1.8.8-1.8 1.8 0 .975.825 1.8 1.8 1.8\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/gu-island><\/footer>\n<\/article>\n<aside data-ad-slot=\"true\" class=\"ad-slot-container ad-slot-desktop dcr-jko40v\"\/>\n<aside data-ad-slot=\"true\" class=\"ad-slot-container dcr-jko40v\"\/>\n<article id=\"block-69635bb48f0816b5c3d0983a\" class=\"block dcr-1os4bxs\">\n<header class=\"dcr-88va8u\">\n<h2 class=\"dcr-1wl2b6o\">Conservatives would ban under-16s from social media if in power<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. The Conservatives have announced they would ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms if they were in government, amid growing concerns about young people\u2019s mental health, ability to concentrate and their easy access to harmful content online.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Conservative party leader, <strong>Kemi Badenoch<\/strong>, also said phones would be banned in schools if the Tories came into power, arguing the move would help protect children\u2019s mental health and education.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The party, which is heavily trailing in the polls, wants social media companies, including the hugely popular TikTok, and Snapchat, to use age verification checks to prevent under-16s from using their sites.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">It comes as the NASUWT teachers\u2019 union calls on the government to ban social media for under-16s to improve concentration at school and stem damage to mental health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2025\/dec\/09\/australia-under-16-social-media-ban-begins-apps-listed\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Australia\u2019s world-first social media ban for children<\/a> under the age of 16 came into effect last month. Under-16s there cannot use major social media platforms, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat, and have had their existing profiles deactivated and can\u2019t set up new accounts.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"dcb869e6-eabc-47ca-bcd0-fcdcb0ea67c8\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Australia\u2019s under-16s have lost their access to major digital platforms.<\/span> Illustration: Victoria Hart\/Guardian Design\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Several other countries are considering social media bans for under-15s after Australia\u2019s ban including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/oct\/07\/danish-pm-plans-to-ban-social-media-for-under-15s-warning-it-is-stealing-childhood\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Denmark<\/a>, whose government hopes to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/oct\/07\/danish-pm-plans-to-ban-social-media-for-under-15s-warning-it-is-stealing-childhood\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">introduce a ban in 2026<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/oct\/23\/norway-to-increase-minimum-age-limit-on-social-media-to-15-to-protect-children\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Norway<\/a>, and France, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/dec\/31\/france-plans-social-media-ban-for-under-15s-from-september-2026\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">reportedly<\/a> intends to ban social media platforms for children from the start of the 2026 academic year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The UK Labour party has not entirely opposed the idea, saying \u201cnothing is off the table\u201d but has cautioned that any ban must be \u201cbased on robust evidence\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Kemi Badenoch will likely be grilled on the details of the proposed under-16s social media ban when she appears on the BBC\u2019s Laura Kuenssberg Sunday Politics programme shortly. We will bring you what is said then so stick with us.<\/p>\n<footer class=\"dcr-3i7iba\"><gu-island name=\"ShareButton\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;size&quot;:&quot;xsmall&quot;,&quot;pageId&quot;:&quot;politics\/live\/2026\/jan\/11\/tories-ban-under-16s-social-media-badenoch-uk-politics-live&quot;,&quot;hash&quot;:&quot;block-69635bb48f0816b5c3d0983a&quot;,&quot;queryParams&quot;:{&quot;page&quot;:&quot;with:block-69635bb48f0816b5c3d0983a&quot;},&quot;webTitle&quot;:&quot;Tories would ban under-16s from social media, says Badenoch \u2013 UK politics live&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:11,&quot;display&quot;:0,&quot;theme&quot;:0},&quot;context&quot;:&quot;LiveBlock&quot;}\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Tories would ban under-16s from social media, says Badenoch \u2013 UK politics live&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/live\/2026\/jan\/11\/tories-ban-under-16s-social-media-badenoch-uk-politics-live?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-69635bb48f0816b5c3d0983a#block-69635bb48f0816b5c3d0983a\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"-3 -3 30 30\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M19 16c1.675 0 3 1.35 3 3 0 1.675-1.325 3-3 3a2.97 2.97 0 0 1-2.975-3c0-.125 0-.275.025-.375L7.1 14.15a2.9 2.9 0 0 1-2.075.825C3.325 14.975 2 13.65 2 12a3.004 3.004 0 0 1 3.025-3.025c.775 0 1.5.35 2.075.875l8.95-4.475c-.025-.1-.025-.225-.025-.4A2.966 2.966 0 0 1 19 2c1.675 0 3 1.325 3 2.975C22 6.65 20.675 8 19 8c-.8 0-1.475-.325-2.05-.825l-8.975 4.45C8 11.7 8 11.825 8 12s0 .3-.025.375l8.975 4.45c.575-.5 1.25-.825 2.05-.825m0-12.8c-.975 0-1.8.775-1.8 1.775S18.025 6.8 19 6.8c1 0 1.825-.825 1.825-1.825S20 3.2 19 3.2m0 17.6c1 0 1.825-.825 1.825-1.8 0-1-.825-1.8-1.825-1.8-.975 0-1.8.8-1.8 1.8 0 .975.825 1.8 1.8 1.8\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/gu-island><\/p>\n<p>Updated at\u00a0<time datetime=\"2026-01-11T08:54:36.000Z\" data-locale=\"en-gb\" title=\"Sunday, 11 January 2026 at 08:54 Greenwich Mean Time\">08.54 GMT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p>#Tories #ban #under16s #social #media #Badenoch #politics #live #Politics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key events Show key events onl&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11287"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}