UK Moves to Lead Global Youth Digital Protection with Strict Social Media Age Ban

The UK's policy represents a landmark shift in youth digital governance, going beyond Australia's model with chatbot restrictions and daily usage limits that directly tackle the psychological harm of social media. Driven by unprecedented public consensus (116,000 responses), the move signals a broader global reckoning with how tech platforms impact child development, positioning the UK as a standard-setter for youth protection policies that other nations will likely follow.