Artificial intelligence (AI) “romantic companion” chatbots designed to simulate sexual relationships with users will have a minimum age of 18, while more general AI tools will have similar functions restricted for children. In a Downing Street press conference the PM said the ban was a "big moment for our country”. The Prime Minister, a father of two teenagers, said: "This is not something I do lightly, and I will not present it as cost-free, as if social media has brought no benefits to young people, because clearly that is wrong. "But government is always about choices, and it’s clear to me that a full ban is the right choice.” He said "every parent can see it with their own eyes” that “social media is making children unhappy”. He said social media was "making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse” children and "could even be harming their mental health – exposing them to content that is dangerous, because that’s what grabs the attention”. The ban is expected to cover platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X but not messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal. The social media ban follows a similar move in Australia, where there have been criticism about how it is enforced, with youngsters using virtual private networks (VPNs) and other methods to get around it. The Government intends to use highly-effective age assurance (HEAA) measures to make it more difficult for children to dodge the ban. Those methods could include facial age estimates, photo ID or bank checks according to guidance from regulator Ofcom. The Prime Minister’s actions were met with applause from campaigners invited into No 10 to hear his speech. But Save The Children UK’s senior adviser Jeffrey Demarco said: “We are concerned that a blanket ban may look protective on paper, but instead pushes children into less regulated spaces, where they are less likely to seek help when something goes wrong.” Bereaved mother Ellen Roome said she and other parents shed a tear when the social media ban was announced. Her son Jools Sweeney was 14 when he took his own life in 2022, and Ms Roome believes his death could have been linked to an online challenge gone wrong. She said: "We shouldn’t be having to be in this position but we all lost our children and campaigned to make a difference for other people’s children, so it was a very powerful but important moment. So delighted to hear it.” Other campaigners such as the Molly Rose Foundation have suggested a ban might fail to address what it describes as “fundamental product safety issues” on the platforms. | 
