LONDON/DUBLIN: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on June 15 that he plans to ban social media for children under 16 and place limits on gaming and live-streaming platforms. This move is part of a strong push against big tech and goes further than any country has so far.

In nearby Ireland, the government is considering a similar ban on under-16s, but would prefer to act at the European Union level. Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris supported Starmer's plan, calling social media a major public health risk today.

Starmer said these wide-ranging changes would "give kids their childhood back." The rules would apply to platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and X, as well as gaming sites where strangers can contact children. However, messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal would not be included.

He said a full ban is the right decision and believes it will make children safer and happier, while giving them more time, security, and freedom to grow. Britain will follow a model similar to Australia, which introduced a ban in December.

The UK will also block harmful features, such as live streaming and allowing strangers to contact children under 16. Starmer compared this to real life, saying parents would never allow their child to. While many support the ban, some experts say there is no clear proof that it will work. Some schoolchildren in London also said they have mixed feelings about social media.

Speaking in Dublin, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Ireland is exploring similar steps at the EU level. He said efforts are ongoing and that the European Commission may propose measures to better protect young people, possibly moving in the same direction as the UK. He also noted that more countries now agree that stronger action is needed, though the exact details of a ban still need to be decided, and many are watching how Australia's policy works.

Martin said that just as governments have taken action to reduce harm from things like tobacco and alcohol, they must also act on social media, which he called a major public health issue today.

He added that it would be better if the European Union made a joint decision to ban social media for children and worked out how to implement it.

Tánaiste Harris praised Starmer for showing strong leadership on the issue and said he welcomed the move as a positive step.

He warned that social media is having a real and worrying effect on young people's minds, and could be one of the biggest mental health and wellbeing challenges of our time.

He also said that the Irish government prefers to take action together at the European level.