00:00This is a big step, real change for our children and our future, because today I
00:09can announce that the government will ban access to social media for all
00:14children under the age of 16. This is not something I do lightly and I will not
00:21present it as cost-free, as if social media has brought no benefits to young
00:27people, because clearly that is wrong. But government is always about choices and
00:34it's clear to me that a full ban is the right choice. But it won't be easy. I
00:40mean some technology companies want us to think that social media is unchangeable,
00:45part of an almost natural order, but we have to resist that kind of learned
00:51helplessness. We have agency. We can change it and we will. Yes, it's hard. Hard to
01:01legislate for, hard to regulate, hard to enforce. That's why we sought a wide range
01:09of views on this. That's why we listened to people, had a conversation. We looked
01:14carefully at the evidence, learned from countries like Australia that are taking
01:19similar steps. We're taking world-leading action on gaming services and live
01:26streaming platforms, where at the moment strangers can contact any child unchecked.
01:35Just think about that. Is there a situation in the offline world where you would just let
01:43your child pair up with a stranger, an adult that you don't know anything about? No. So
01:52we're taking action on that.
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