AN UNDER-16s social media ban is expected to be announced tomorrow after a senior minister warned it should be part of a “basket of measures” to protect children online.

PM Sir Keir Starmer will reportedly set out plans to bar children from certain platforms including chatbots as well as a curfew for under-18s in a bid to end late-night scrolling.

They are expected to go further than Australia’s existing minimum age to 16 for sites including TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, X, YouTube, Snapchat and Reddit.

According to The Sunday Times, the government’s restrictions will also include restrictions on romantic or sexual AI chatbots and limits to daily social media use for under-18s.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy suggested today that Sir Keir’s announcement will include stringent age-verification measures in light of the enforcement issues Australia has encountered.

She told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that the responses to the government’s consultation on the issue were “overwhelmingly clear” that the vast majority of respondents backed an under-16s ban.

“I don’t think banning social media on its own is the silver bullet solution, but I do think Australia has shown very clearly that it has a significant role to play,” she said, adding that it should be part of a “basket of measures.”

The latest YouGov poll found just one in seven adults (15 per cent) trust government ministers to decide which social media platforms are appropriate for children — slightly less than technology companies (16 per cent).

They expressed more confidence in parents and independent regulators (around half) and schools (22 per cent), the Institute for Public Policy Research’s survey of more than 2,000 adults found.

The polling, conducted by YouGov, also found 44 per cent support banning under-16s from social media while 39 per cent prefer tighter regulation.

The think tank is calling for a blanket ban on social media for under-16s, but not just to protect children from harmful content.

The National Education Union (NEU) has also called on the Prime Minister to enact a ban.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said: “The public backs action, parents have spoken, and the evidence is overwhelming. Anything less than a full ban would mean caving in to Big Tech.”