MPs vote down UK social media ban for under-16s

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Momentum in favour of a UK social media ban for under-16s has been slowed by parliament after MPs rejected an amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill. Although parents and campaign groups have called for a ban, the NSPCC has warned that it could push teenagers to more unregulated parts of the internet. An amendment in lieu means that a ban could be considered in the future. The amendment gives Liz Kendall, the science secretary, power to “restrict or ban children of certain ages” from accessing social media or chatbots. She could also limit the use of Virtual Private Networks, which allow people to disguise their location. Even though this will be difficult to enforce and raises ethical concerns, it may be seen as necessary. In Australia, which brought in a ban in December, VPNs are all the rage.