UK may ban under-16s from using shopping sites

According to the news in The Times newspaper, Minister of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy has initiated an initiative to ban children under the age of 16 from using shopping sites and applications, including eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted and Depop.

The reason for the ban attempt was shown to be the presence of messaging features in these applications and sites, which led to children being exploited by strangers.

A government source told the newspaper: "There is ample evidence to suggest that many under-16s are actually becoming vulnerable to risks by accessing these services. We need to take a comprehensive approach to protecting children online." he said.

The Children's Society, a UK-based child protection foundation, reported that some users of the sites and applications in question asked for inappropriate photos from child users in exchange for money.

In his statement on June 15, former Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the country stated that efforts were initiated to ban the use of social media by those under the age of 16 and that they planned to pass the law in the parliament by the end of this year.

Noting that the ban will begin to be implemented in the first months of next year, Starmer said, "All parents see it with their own eyes. Social media makes children unhappy. It makes it easier for bullies to harm and abuse children, and even children's mental health is damaged. Children are exposed to dangerous content because they attract attention." He used the following expressions:

Pointing out that in addition to banning access to social media applications, the messaging feature in gaming and broadcasting applications will also be banned, Starmer said that there was a plan to include VPN in the scope of the ban.