World News for Students of English

19-06-2026 07:00

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a strict new plan to ban social media sites for children under 16 to protect them online and give kids their childhood back.

The far-reaching restrictions will completely block under-16s from popular platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram. Furthermore, the government will impose tough restrictions on gaming and livestreaming services, where strangers can currently contact young children unchecked. Starmer explained that the government already has the power to start this process, with new regulations coming by the end of the year and a full ban starting next spring.

This decision comes after growing worries about the serious mental health risks and insecurities caused by too much screen time. A huge government consultation received over 116,000 responses, where more than 83% of parents said that online risks heavily outweigh the benefits. While many parents and teachers fully welcome the ban, some psychologists argue there is no real proof it will work.

Difficult words: far-reaching (having a very big, wide, and important effect on a huge number of people or things), insecurity (a bad feeling of not being confident, safe, or happy with who you are or how you look), outweigh (to be greater, heavier, or much more important than something else).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.