Starmer declares months timeline for social media age limits

"In a Substack post, Starmer said ministers want powers to set a minimum age for social media far more quickly than it took to grind the Online Safety Act through Parliament, arguing the move is needed to prevent children from being exposed to harmful content and addictive platform design. The post lands alongside a broader package of measures the government says will be fleshed out through a consultation starting in March as ministers look to expand and tweak the existing online safety framework."

"Starmer leaned heavily on the idea that social platforms are distorting children's development, warning: "Young people's sense of self depends on this algorithm." His post singles out so-called engagement features, such as infinite scroll and auto-play, as examples of functionality that could face restrictions if officials deem them detrimental to children's well-being, indicating a willingness to push beyond content moderation into the mechanics of how platforms capture attention."

""We will bring new powers that will give us the ability to crack down on the addictive elements of social media, stop the auto-play, the never-ending scrolling, that keeps are [sic] children hooked on their screens for hours, and stop kids getting around age limits," Starmer wrote. The UK wouldn't be alone in targeting infinite feeds. EU regulators are already probing TikTok over whether its limitless scrolling and recommendation algorithms pose systemic risks under the Digital Services Act,"

The UK government has set a 'months' timeline to introduce a minimum age for social media to reduce children's exposure to harmful content and addictive platform design. Ministers seek powers to move faster than the Online Safety Act process and plan a consultation starting in March to expand the online safety framework. Officials target engagement features such as infinite scroll and auto-play, proposing restrictions if those mechanics are deemed detrimental to children's well-being. Proposals include powers to stop auto-play, never-ending scrolling, and measures to prevent children from evading age checks, including potential limits on VPN use. EU regulators are already probing TikTok's recommendation design.

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