United Kingdom: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Department for Education announced inquiry on children's use of technology

On 19 January 2026, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Education announced an inquiry into children's use of technology, which will include a 3-month national consultation before the government's response in the summer. The inquiry aims to identify further steps to protect children's well-being online and ensure that they have a healthy relationship with digital devices. Key proposals under consideration include establishing a minimum age for social media access, including a ban on social media for under-16s, improving the accuracy of age assurance mechanisms, and assessing whether the current digital age of consent should be increased. The consultation will also consider the potential restriction of addictive functionalities like infinite scrolling, the implementation of phone curfews, potential action regarding the use of VPNs to circumvent certain protections, and the simplification of parental controls.