Petition · past parliament

Make it illegal to offer social media accounts to children under 16

Closed 471 signatures

What the petition asks

Social media is wrecking young lives, if it's not bullying which branches out way past their own school, its isolating and excluding kids who see the 'fun' they haven't been asked to join, choices are made of what to post on a whim and then regretted. It is available 24/7 with no escape.
Children's mental health services are struggling to cope with referrals they are receiving, this is a ticking time bomb for young people.
A campaign by the NSPCC Share Aware gives advice how to keep your child safe online, most worrying however is the anxiety, depression and in some cases suicide in under 16's caused by social media. These sites can be accessed easily with fabricated dates of birth.

Timeline

27 Mar 2017 Petition opened for signatures
2 May 2017 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 471
Status Closed
Opened 27 Mar 2017
Closed 2 May 2017

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.