Published 06/15/2026 15:02 | Edited 06/15/2026 18:39
The United Kingdom government announced, this Monday (15), that children under 16 will be banned from accessing social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and X. British authorities are also studying limiting the use of artificial intelligence tools, expanding the reach of a discussion that already mobilizes governments, researchers and organizations linked to children’s rights in different countries.
The measure was presented by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a response to the risks faced by children and adolescents in digital environments. The plan also provides for restrictions on live broadcasts carried out by minors and contact with strangers on online gaming platforms. The government is also evaluating mechanisms to reduce excessive internet use at night and promised to release details on proposals related to artificial intelligence in July.
In announcing the measures, Starmer said that children’s online safety is “one of the biggest debates of our time”. According to the British government, the initiative was supported by research that shows broad parental support for the adoption of stricter limits on minors’ access to digital platforms. “That’s why we will end a system that is failing our children and take bold action to give every child the best possible start in life.”
The announcement comes amid growing concerns related to the exposure of children and adolescents to inappropriate content, sexual exploitation, harassment, violence, dangerous challenges and engagement mechanisms capable of encouraging compulsive use of platforms. In recent years, social networks, online games and, more recently, artificial intelligence tools have begun to focus part of these debates.
Protection failures and pressure regulation
Part of the pressure for stricter measures is related to the difficulty of the platforms themselves in controlling minors’ access to their services.
In Brazil, a survey carried out by the Internet Management Committee (CGI.br) and the Ponto BR Information and Coordination Center (NIC.br) revealed that 84% of the digital platforms analyzed do not adopt secure age measurement mechanisms at the time of registration. The study analyzed platforms widely used by children and adolescents, including social networks, messaging applications, online games, marketplaces and artificial intelligence tools.
Find out more: 84% of digital platforms do not have secure age measurement methods
In addition to the absence of consistent age control mechanisms, researchers identified difficulties with transparency and inconsistencies in the information provided by the companies themselves about their child protection policies.
ECA Digital and platform accountability
The difficulties identified by the study helped to support a series of initiatives aimed at protecting children and young people in the digital environment.
In March this year, ECA Digital came into force, a set of standards that establishes new obligations for platforms, applications and online services aimed at or accessed by children and adolescents. When regulating the legislation, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva argued that the responsibility for protecting minors cannot fall solely on families and educators.
“Everyone needs to do their part to ensure a safe digital space and the primary responsibility lies with digital platforms,” he said.
On the occasion, the president also highlighted that companies now have the obligation to report crimes to authorities, remove criminal content and offer parental supervision tools. Lula also criticized sectors that resist the regulation of platforms and stated that the protection of children and adolescents must prevail over economic interests.
Technology to protect
The Brazilian strategy, however, is not limited to creating rules.
Also in March, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) launched a R$100 million funding line to support research and the development of artificial intelligence solutions aimed at protecting children and adolescents on the internet.
As Vermelho showed in the report “MCTI announces R$100 million for child and youth protection projects on the internet”, the resources will be allocated to the development of technologies capable of preventing, detecting and mitigating online risks, including sexual exploitation, exposure to harmful content and dangerous interactions in digital environments.
On the occasion, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos, stated that digital protection is also part of the national development project. “Living in a sovereign and fair country means ensuring that our children and adolescents grow up safely in all spaces — including the digital world,” he declared.
Australia served as a reference
The United Kingdom is not the first country to adopt measures of this type. The British government’s main reference is Australia, which in December 2025 implemented the first national ban on social networks for under-16s.
In the Australian model, penalties fall on companies, which can be fined if they do not adopt mechanisms capable of preventing access by minors. Among the solutions used are verification systems based on official documents, facial recognition, voice recognition and age estimation tools.
The measures also aroused criticism. Technology companies and sectors of the British opposition question both the effectiveness of the restrictions and the impacts of stricter verification systems on user privacy.
Even so, the United Kingdom’s announcement highlights a trend observed in different countries: given the difficulties faced by platforms in ensuring safe environments for children and adolescents, pressure is growing for technology companies to assume broader responsibilities over the digital spaces they manage.
Source: vermelho.org.br