World Decides: After Australia And EU, UK To Take On Big Tech Over Child Online Safety

The UK may soon join the growing list of countries moving to restrict social media for children under 16. Over the past few months, governments around the world have started taking on Big Tech companies that run popular social media platforms. Social media apps such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X and Snapchat are increasingly being accused of exposing children to harmful content, online predators, addictive features and mental health risks.The global push gained momentum after Australia passed a law banning children under 16 from using social media platforms.Since then, several countries have started looking at similar rules. Spain has proposed stricter age checks for teenagers, while France, Denmark, Poland and Greece are considering tougher

restrictions on children's social media use. Malaysia has also introduced new measures to improve online safety for young users.Now, according to a Reuters report, the United Kingdom could be preparing its own major crackdown.Malaysia Bans Social Media For Kids Below 16: Will India Take On Big Tech Too?British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is reportedly set to announce plans that would ban children under the age of 16 from accessing what the government describes as 'harmful social media platforms, while still allowing access to some safer online services.

The report says Starmer decided to move forward after meeting families affected by online harms and reviewing evidence from Australia, which implemented its under-16 social media ban last year.The British prime minister is willing to take on major technology companies and their executives if it helps protect young people online. "The prime minister is not afraid about taking on the tech companies and their bosses to protect young people," a source quoted by Reuters said. While a full ban may not be announced immediately, the UK government is rumoured to reveal new steps to tackle online risks facing children. When Will India Act?With more countries moving to ban or restrict social media for kids, the spotlight is now on India. At present, India does not have a law that completely bans social media platforms for kids of any age. With one of the world's largest populations of young internet users, we are facing an even greater urgency to address this issue.According to senior tech analyst Faisal Kawoosa, India should also consider similar measures to reduce children's exposure to harmful online contentNorway, Türkiye Move to Ban Social Media for Children"It's good to see that many countries are enforcing a ban on social media for teenagers. India must also have such a law to restrict exposure. However, this might not be enough one can simply enter any DOB while signing up, an example could be email sign ups or gaming accounts where many teenagers, or even younger than them signup by giving a false DOB," Kawoosa, Founder, Techarc, told Times Now Tech.Kawoosa believes that India should introduce a unique digital ID backed by a proper KYC process. "I think India should have a unique digital ID backed by a proper KYC process. Then, it should be made mandatory to use this digital ID while signing up for any service or application to verify a user's age," he stressed.