House of Lords Approves Social Media Ban for Under-16s | News UK

TL:DR – House of Lords Approves Social Media Ban for Under-16s | News UK

• The House of Lords supports a ban on social media for under-16s amid concerns for child safety.
• Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced a three-month consultation on the proposed ban.
• Lord Nash claims overwhelming support exists from various professionals and parents for the ban.
• Peers voted 261 to 150 in favour of the amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
• The UK may adopt age-check methods similar to Australia, with potential fines for non-compliance by platforms.

Social media ban for under-16s baked in the House of Lords | News UK

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A ban on social media for under-16s has been backed by the House of Lords following growing calls from campaigners.

It comes as supporters of the Australian-style ban have argued parents are in ‘an impossible position’ about the online harms their children are being exposed to.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced a three-month consultation this week, which will consider the advantages and disadvantages of a ban, as well as possible overnight curfews and actions to prevent ‘doom-scrolling’, reporting back in the summer.

But former schools minister Lord Nash argued the evidence is ‘overwhelming’ for a ban, with support ranging from ‘medical professionals to our police and national intelligence community, from our teachers to hundreds of thousands of parents’.

Peers voted 261 to 150, majority 111, in support of Lord Nash’s amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

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Now that peers have backed the ban, it will move to the government, which will have the chance to overturn it in the House of Commons.

Four in 10 children aged three to five already use social media in the UK (Picture: Getty)

What would a social media ban for under-16s in the UK look like?

Almost four in 10 children aged 3-5 use social media in the UK. If the UK implements the same, it would likely mirror that of Australia.

Australia has employed age-check methods, such as checking browsing history or verifying if phone activity is consistent with school times.

A platform disables an account if it identifies a user as underage. There is no penalty for a minor using social media, but firms face fines for failing to enforce the law.

The UK already has laws to limit under-16s’ access to inappropriate content.

The Online Safety Act restricts access to adult websites unless the user can prove they’re over 18, such as by uploading card details or enabling their device’s camera to take a photo, which is scanned to guess their age.

What social media platforms would be banned?

If Australia is any indication, a fair few:

You might notice that WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Discord aren’t on the list. Aussie safety officials consider these sites, among others, as messaging or gaming platforms.

Some kids in Australia are already bypassing age checks by wrinkling their faces and Googling contraception to appear older.

Others just browse social media without an account or click on shared links to outsmart politicians.

Man who murdered two teenagers released after claiming machete was for ‘fishing’

TL:DR – Man who murdered two teenagers released after claiming machete was for ‘fishing’

• Mason Rist, 15, and Max Dixon, 16, were murdered in a revenge attack in Bristol.
• Their killer, Anthony Snook, 45, was previously found with a machete but released after claiming it was for fishing.
• Nikki Knight, Mason’s mother, criticises authorities for failing to prevent the killings.
• CCTV captured a 33-second violent assault as Snook’s group attacked the boys with weapons.
• Snook was sentenced to a minimum of 38 years for the double murder. Authorities deem their actions appropriate.

Man who killed two teens was freed after telling cops his machete was for ‘fishing’ | News UK

Maxon Rist and Max Dixon were both stabbed to death (Picture: SWNS)

The mum of a murdered teen has revealed her son’s killer was found with a machete just days before the attack – but was let go after telling cops it was for fishing.

Nikki Knight’s son, Mason Rist, 15, and his friend, Max Dixon, 16, were stabbed in a ‘revenge attack’ while on their way to get pizza in Bristol.

Anthony Snook, 45, arrived in his Audi with Riley Tolliver, 18, Kodi Wescott, 17, and two teenagers, aged 15, 16 and 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Mason’s mum, Nikki, 52, has since been informed of a vital ‘missed opportunity’ to stop the killings when Snook wasn’t detained despite a machete being found in the boot of his car eight days earlier.

It has since emerged that Snook had justified possession of the knife by telling cops he was a keen angler and the weapon was part of his regular fishing equipment.

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And Nikki said she was now focusing on spending 2026 doing what she can to hold a range of authorities to account after accusing them of failing to safeguard the teenage victims.

He was sentenced to a minimum of 38 years for the double murder of Max and Mason. (Picture: PA)

She said: ‘The authorities have failed the kids. Just days before the murders they found a machete in the boot of Anthony Snook’s car.

‘He was not arrested, and it was not given as evidence. The worst thing about it is that they sent him on his way. Just days later, he had murdered two innocent boys.’

CCTV footage from Nikki’s house captured the horrific 33-second attack, which began when four youths jumped out of the vehicle on Mason’s doorstep.

Brandishing weapons including a machete, zombie knife and baseball bat, Max and Mason suffered ‘unsurvivable’ stab wounds before the attackers fled.

During the trial, Snook had tried to claim he didn’t know the teens were armed and denied that any of the knives could have already been in his car.

But Nikki said she was told that just eight days earlier, on Friday, January 19, 2024, Snook had a machete-style knife confiscated.

The incident was reported for ‘further enquiries’, but Snook wasn’t arrested and was allowed to continue his journey.

The local community was shocked by the boys’ deaths (Picture: PA)

He had reportedly told cops he was an ‘avid angler’ and the knife was part of his fishing equipment.

Last year, the Crown Prosecution Service ruled it was not in the public interest to pursue the possession charge against Snook after he was sentenced to a minimum of 38 years for the double murder of Max and Mason.

Avon and Somerset Police said the way the incident was dealt with was reviewed and deemed the officer’s actions ‘entirely appropriate’, and no further action would be taken.

But Nikki said the authorities as a whole had ‘failed’ the victims.

She added: ‘If he had been remanded, then this tragedy wouldn’t have happened. The police just let him go. That is all I was told – the end of the conversation. They just took the weapon off him and sent him on his way.

‘They should have kept our kids safe, but they failed them badly.’

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: ‘We detained and reported Snook at the roadside for being in possession of a bladed article (after a knife was found in his boot), which he stated he used for fishing.

‘The knife was seized, and the case against him was not continued after he was charged and later sentenced for the murder.’