Smartphone Free Childhood Gibraltar have welcomed the UK’s decision that social media platforms will be banned from offering services to under-16s and are calling on the Government to consider introducing similar protections for the youth locally.

A statement from Smartphone Free Childhood Gibraltar follows below:

Smartphone Free Childhood Gibraltar welcomes the landmark announcement today by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall that social media platforms will be banned from offering services to under-16s. Expected to be brought to the UK Parliament before Christmas with protections coming into force in Spring 2027, the historic ban will include major algorithmic platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. 

Going beyond a standard blanket ban, key measures announced in the UK’s proposed restrictions include: 

● Strict restrictions on livestreaming and stranger communication for under-16s across wider online services, including gaming sites. These functional safety restrictions will remain turned on by default for 16 and 17-year-olds. 

● A strict minimum age requirement of 18 for AI 'romantic companion' chatbots, alongside wider restrictions on intimate AI functionalities for minors. 

● Active exploration of overnight curfews and mandated breaks in infinite scrolling for all under-18s. 

This landmark decision follows the UK Government’s three-month public consultation, the second-largest in UK history, that drew a total of 116,000 responses from parents, young people, the tech industry, and child safety and privacy advocacy groups on how children use digital technology, and further measures to prepare them for the future in an age of rapid technological change. 

The findings revealed an overwhelming consensus: 

1. 90% of parents who responded backed a social media ban for under-16s. 2. More than 83% of parents stated that the benefits of social media are outright outweighed by the risks. 

3. Two-thirds of young people surveyed agreed that restricting high-risk features would make them safer online. 

The conversation around children's digital wellbeing has moved rapidly in recent years. What was once dismissed as parental anxiety is now supported by an increasingly substantial body of evidence linking smartphone and social media use to poorer mental health outcomes, disrupted sleep, reduced attention, increased exposure to harmful content, and diminished real-world social connection.

We are encouraged to see policymakers around the world engaging seriously with this growing evidence of the risks associated with smartphone and social media use among young people. By announcing these restrictions, the UK has today joined many other countries including Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, and Spain who are taking significant and bold steps to address the challenges children are facing growing up in an online world.. 

As a parent-led movement, Smartphone Free Childhood Gibraltar believes that our youth deserves the opportunity to develop, learn, socialise and thrive without being subjected to unnecessary digital pressures at increasingly young ages. 

In the same way that Gibraltar has already taken the initiative to implement a school phone ban ahead of many other jurisdictions now seeking to do the same, we hope our jurisdiction is able to consider the implications of these worldwide developments regarding wider smartphone and social media bans, and move swiftly towards adopting similar measures, guidance and protections for children and young people locally. 

The evidence base continues to grow, and with it the need for action. The question is no longer whether smartphone and social media use can be harmful to children, but what practical steps should be taken to reduce those harms while supporting families, schools and communities. 

We look forward to continuing to work constructively with all stakeholders, parents, caregivers, and the wider community to help ensure that Gibraltar remains at the forefront of creating healthier childhoods in the digital age.