UK MPs have voted a second time against an outright ban on social media for under-16s, instead opting to follow the government’s more piecemeal approach.

The House of Commons voted 256 to 150 to opt for the government’s upcoming social media regulations rather than a default ban as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

The proposed under 16s ban was proposed by Lord Nash of the Conservative party and advocated for a complete ban of social media for children.

While the ban has yet to be implemented, the government appears poised to gain new powers to curb the use of social media by children, ranging from imposing curfews, scrolling limits, and restrictions on certain services.

MPs have already rejected the full ban once, but the House of Lords soon insisted on the full ban. When the proposal landed back in the Commons, MPs voted to stick with the current government’s plans.

It appears that Parliament is prepared to give the government more time to come to its own conclusions concerning children’s social media use, as the public consultation on the topic is only halfway through its collecting period.

The landmark consultation aims to document concerns from parents, teachers, and the public on social media’s impact on children and young people, as well as how they think social media could best be regulated to protect children.

The vote also comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall meet with a range of tech executives to discuss how they can better protect children online and meet parental concerns.

The PM is meeting with executives from Meta, YouTube, Snap, TikTok, and X to discuss ways social media firms can enact better safety protocols for children amid rising parental concerns.

While it remains unclear who exactly will represent each tech firm, the meeting is timely as more and more social media firms face lawsuits over addiction and adverse mental health effects.

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In a landmark lawsuit in the US, Meta and YouTube were found to be ‘addictive by design’ and negatively impact a plaintiff’s mental health due to their algorithms and platform layout. The lawsuit rocked the world of social media and spurred on the hundreds of other suits set to make similar claims against social media firms.

Is an outright ban the answer, though?

Looking to Australia, which enacted its under-16s social media ban in December 2025, the answer is complex.

A recent study from the Molly Rose Foundation found that 60% of under-16s in Australia still use social media despite the ban. Similar to restrictions on adult websites, underage users may be able to bypass geographically-based bans by using Virtual Private Networks or other tactics to evade age restrictions.

The national consultation, which closes on 26 May and has already received over 45,000 responses, may provide more clarity on what solutions the public seeks in terms of managing child online safety across social media platforms.