MPs voted against banning under-16s from social media yesterday. It’s not over.
For the second time in six weeks, the House of Commons voted yesterday to reject a proposal that would have banned children under 16 from using social media. The vote was 256 to 150. But the headline is misleading. It’s not a decision to say that social media is fine for children, it was a decision about how and when to act. What happens next matters more than the vote itself.
What MPs actually decided
The Lords had twice sent back an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would have required the government to legislate an immediate ban on social media for under-16s, following Australia’s lead. MPs rejected that specific clause both times. The government’s argument, made by education minister Olivia Bailey in the Commons yesterday, is that writing a specific ban into law right now would be premature while a national consultation on the question is still running.
Instead, the bill as passed gives ministers broad new powers to act through secondary legislation once that consultation concludes. The Science Secretary will now have the power to restrict or ban children of certain ages from specific social media platforms, limit access to addictive features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling, restrict children’s use of VPNs to get around controls, and raise the digital age of consent. Those are significant powers. They do not require a fresh act of Parliament to use as the government can move faster than primary legislation allows.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said ahead of the vote: “We’ve taken the powers to make sure we can act within months, not years.”
What the consultation means for parents
The government’s “Growing Up in the Online World” consultation is open until 26 May 2026. It is asking for views on a wide range of options — including a ban on social media for under-16s, overnight curfews, mandatory breaks from scrolling, and whether addictive features should be switched off for young users. UK parents can respond directly. The government has said it will set out its next steps by summer 2026, with any regulations following shortly after.
The consultation link is at gov.uk — search “Growing Up in the Online World consultation.”
Why there’s still significant disagreement
107 Labour MPs abstained yesterday rather than vote against the ban – a sign of how much pressure the government is under from within its own party. Lord Nash, the Conservative peer who proposed the amendment, called the vote “deeply disappointing” and has pledged to keep pushing. The NSPCC, which does not support a blanket ban as the primary solution, welcomed the consultation approach but said platforms must be required to prove their services are age-appropriate before children can access them.
On the other side, critics of a ban — including some children’s charities and digital rights organisations — have warned that a blanket restriction could push children towards less regulated corners of the internet, and leave teenagers unprepared when they do eventually come online. The Lib Dems proposed a middle path: rating platforms by the harmfulness of their features rather than imposing a single age threshold.
What UK parents should expect by the end of the year
A ban is not coming immediately. But significant restrictions almost certainly are. Once the consultation closes on 26 May, the government has committed to acting by summer, with regulations following in months rather than years. Those regulations could include age restrictions on specific platforms, limits on algorithmic recommendation for under-16s, and new requirements for age verification.
The one thing UK parents can do right now: respond to the consultation before 26 May. It is genuinely open to individual responses, not just organisations. If you have a view on whether a ban is the right approach, or whether you would rather see platforms redesigned, this is the moment to say so.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill now returns to the House of Lords for final agreement. If the Lords accept the Commons position, the bill passes. If not, the ping-pong continues — though most observers expect it to reach Royal Assent shortly.
We’ll update the Wired Parents tracker when the bill is law and when the government announces its post-consultation plans.
Sources: LBC — Live updates: Commons vote on social media ban, 15 April 2026 House of Commons Library — Proposals to ban social media for children The Conversation — MPs’ vote against a social media ban didn’t kill the idea, March 2026 UK Government — Growing Up in the Online World consultation
