Starmer, the Under-16s Are Smarter Than You (opens in new tab)

Today, Keir Starmer stood at a podium in Downing Street and announced that the UK will ban social media for anyone under 16. TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, X, and Facebook — gone for minors, though not YouTube Kids, WhatsApp, or Signal. Regulations could land as early as spring 2027. He called it "a full ban" and said it was "the right choice." He said the UK was going "further than any country in the world," as though that were a point of pride rather than a warning sign.