‘Tech firms are losing the public’: social media age bans near tipping point

According to The Guardian, the UK has become the latest country to impose a minimum age requirement for social media. Under-sixteens are now barred from major platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X, TikTok, and Snapchat. The move follows Australia's precedent—the country established the same age limit last December. That decision is now rippling globally as governments appear increasingly serious about protecting children online. Arturo Béjar, a former Meta whistleblower, has spoken with parents worldwide who share a consistent concern: the anxiety their children face when they become old enough to go online. But Big Tech isn't accepting this quietly. The major platforms are pushing back hard, viewing the regulations as overreach and mounting a coordinated defense. As more countries consider similar restrictions, the battle over child safety online between government authorities and technology companies is intensifying.

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