Britain considers a new study on the effects of social media on teenagers

After introducing new internet safety regulations aimed at protecting children and removing unlawful information, Britain may consider taking more steps in the new year to shield young teens from the dangers of social media, according to a minister.

The Online Safety Act signed into law in October, mandates that websites like YouTube, owned by Alphabet, and Instagram, owned by Meta, tighten up their policies around prohibited content and age verification.

Users of popular services like Snapchat, YouTube, and Instagram must be at least 13 years old.

According to a Bloomberg article, the British government was looking into possible prohibitions as well as a crackdown on youngsters under 16's use of social media.

The government always aims to strike a balance between granting parents authority and protecting fundamental liberties, according to Science Minister Andrew Griffith's statement on Friday.

"If there is a consultation at some point in the future, and as I say that's speculation at this point, looking at how you can continue to protect minors as opposed to the freedom of the internet for adults is always something that a sensible government I think would look at," he said on Times Radio.

(Sources: investing.com, reuters.com, bloomberg.com)