At the beginning of 2026, the United Kingdom's House of Lords supported a proposal to prohibit those under 16 from access to social media to include the sites Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram. Any such ban would be introduced as an amendment to the government's schools bill.
Childcare author and television personality Jo Frost has now shared her opinion on the proposal. Ironically, on Instagram on Tuesday, Frost made an appeal to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ban social media for children under 16.
Jo Frost is an author of six parenting books and a nanny with over 30 years experience. Frost became a household name and a familiar face in the United Kingdom and the United States due to the shows Supernanny UK (2004-2008) and Supernanny US (2005-2011 and 2020).
Frost said:
"This is a message to Keir Starmer. You are a father of two children so you know what it is to protect them, to understand what they're ready for and what they are not."
"I am speaking to you as a British citizen and someone who has spent nearly four decades in homes guiding them. What I'm seeing across all ages of childhood should stop us in our tracks."
Frost captioned the video:
"It is every child's right of passage to live and experience a childhood that is safe and protected."
You can see her video here:
Frost continued:
"I'm working with toddlers who are working with fast-moving content impacting their language, their behavior, their ability to sit and just simply connect."
"I'm seeing children as young as seven and eight already being poured into a world of comparison and exposure and influence."
"Then there's our teenagers, they're struggling with their identity, their self worth, they're struggling to regulate their emotions, exposure to sexual predators and dark online material. Their confidence is fragile."
"Their mental health is suffering, and their brains are still developing and being shaped by systems designed to keep them hooked in, not to help them grow."
"Their ability to focus, make decisions, cope with discomfort, it's not there. This is a pattern I'm witnessing every day in homes and I'm sitting with the parents who are overwhelmed, exhausted and often in despair."
Frost added:
"This is where leadership matters. Other countries are stepping forward. They’re recognizing that childhood must be protected in this digital age, and so must we. We have a moral responsibility to our families."
"This is your moment, Sir, to stand up, to lead with empathy, to lead with courage, to protect not just your own children, but every child in Great Britain. History will remember what you choose to do next, Sir. Act now. Raise the age, Prime Minister, raise the age to 16. Please."
Frost concluded by asking Starmer to:
"Give children the time they need to develop their brains, build resilience, form identity in the real world before they are exposed to the pressures of the online one."
Many people agreed with Frost's stance in the video post's comments.
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Some Australians shared that their government ban doesn't work without parental cooperation.
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Australia's federal government implemented their social media ban for children under 16 on December 10, 2025. The supporting legislation mandates social media companies take "reasonable steps" to prevent users under 16 from having existing accounts or opening new accounts, with substantial fines levied against companies that don't comply.
As of now, Australia’s ban includes 10 major platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Reddit, Threads, Kick, and Twitch.
The current digital age of consent for most platforms is 13 unless otherwise mandated.
