Education Minister Paul Givan has expressed his support for the UK Government's announcement regarding proposals to ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms.

The proposed measures would require social media providers to prevent individuals under 16 from using their services. The restrictions are anticipated to apply to major networks, including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, X, and YouTube, alongside broader legislative protections designed to minimise harmful digital experiences for young people.

Characterising the proposals as a major advancement for safeguarding youth and promoting healthier childhood development, Paul Givan said: "I strongly welcome this decisive action to place children's wellbeing and safety at the heart of the online world. Young people today are growing up in an increasingly digital environment, and it is vital that protections keep pace with the risks they face.

"As a father of three teenage girls, I understand the concerns shared by parents across Northern Ireland about what children can be exposed to online and the impact excessive social media use can have on their wellbeing, development and education.

"Since becoming Education Minister, I have taken forward a number of initiatives to encourage healthier digital habits among children and young people. For example, the Department has funded a pilot of mobile phone inhibiting devices in nine post-primary schools to test and evaluate the practicalities and impact of this approach in real school settings. "The feedback from participating schools has been overwhelmingly positive. School leaders have reported improvements in pupil engagement, concentration, behaviour and social interaction, with many describing the impact as transformative for teaching and learning.

"The pilot concluded at the end of March and an independent evaluation is currently being finalised by King's College London. I will carefully consider the findings, which are due to be submitted to the Department this month, before determining the next steps."

In tandem with these initiatives, the Department of Education is maintaining its investment in the Safer Schools NI platform. The service is provided free of charge to all regional educational settings, students, and parents, delivering guidance, information, and advice on a variety of safeguarding topics, with a specific focus on online harms and emerging digital platforms.

The Minister continued: "I recently wrote to all schools to raise awareness of the Smartphone Free Childhood Parent Pact initiative, which encourages parents to delay smartphone ownership and helps reduce early exposure to social media and online harms.

"For too long, parents have been expected to navigate a digital landscape that was never designed with children's best interests in mind. Today's proposals recognise that children deserve stronger protections and that social media platforms must be held accountable for the environments they create.

"I also want to commend the work of the Smartphone Free Childhood organisation for its leadership in raising awareness of the risks associated with early smartphone and social media use and for supporting parents in building healthier digital habits.

"Today's announcement is an important and necessary step towards helping young people enjoy healthier, safer and more balanced childhoods and I look forward to seeing these measures brought forward."