Submitted on Thursday 7th May 2026
Rejected on Tuesday 2nd June 2026
Current status: Rejected
Rejection code: duplicate (see below for details)
Restrict social media access for children under the age of 16
We call on the government to introduce legislation that prohibits social media platforms from allowing children under the age of 16 to create or maintain accounts. Tech companies must be legally required to implement robust, privacy-preserving age-verification processes to enforce this limit.
Evidence links early social media use to rising rates of youth anxiety, depression, and sleep deprivation. Algorithms are deliberately engineered to be addictive, exploiting developing brains. Under-16s face severe risks online, including cyberbullying, harmful content exposure, and grooming, which platforms consistently fail to prevent.A clear age limit of 16 will safeguard childhood development, reduce peer pressure, and support parents in keeping their children safe.
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The Government e-Petitions Team gave the following reason:
There's already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.
You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.
You may wish to sign this petition which calls for a similar action: Ban social media for under 16s petition.parliament.uk/petitions/762618
216.73.217.50 Sat, 20 Jun 2026 21:54:40 +0100
