I have been watching in front of my own eyes, how many children are getting addicted to social media, and from my own personal experience I can say that it is leading to real problems with attention, because of the way these algorithms are wired to hold you, and it affects mental health and development in ways that genuinely need to be checked.
This is the most crucial phase of a person’s life, when the brain is still growing, and the uncomfortable truth is that evolution never built us for this and our brains were not made to scroll endlessly or to live inside a screen… so something like this was always going to have to come, and I am glad it finally has.
Keir Starmer has announced today that the UK will ban under-16s from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, YouTube and Snapchat, following Australia’s lead from December, with messaging apps like WhatsApp left out and the law expected to take effect around early 2027 once it clears Parliament.
I genuinely hope India brings in something similar, at least to begin with, because while I know the implementation is extraordinarily difficult and will ultimately depend a great deal on parents and guardians, we badly need this.
Kudos to the UK government for taking a decision this bold and this progressive, one that will protect a generation of children, and my hope is simply that more governments find the courage to follow through!