SPEAK UK

Social media users may be required to have photo ID to prove their age when Labour’s ban for under-16s comes into force next spring, Ofcom has said. The regulator said that current facial age checks used widely by the social media platforms were not accurate enough to confirm whether a child was over 16⤵️ telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10…

🚨NEW: The Online Safety Act has been a failure, according to a new report from Ofcom. Ofcom have found "no significant change" in children encountering harmful content since the law came into effect last July. This is despite the signifigant threats to free speech and privacy.

The Online Safety Act has made hosting community forums so laborious that they're closing shop. Hundreds of forums have shuttered due to piling paperwork and liability risks. Ordinary speech from ordinary people, gone. Read our report ⤵️ bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/campa…

Exclusive: Social media companies will be required to implement “hard checks” on people’s ages such as demanding passports or driving licences under plans to stop children from using their platforms The government is due to announce plans for a social media ban for under-16s in the coming weeks amid concerns that children are being exposed to harmful content Ministers want to take a harder line on age verification to ensure that children are not using the platforms after concerns that a similar social media ban in Australia has had little impact Under plans being considered by ministers, those using the sites will be required to submit their passports or driving licences or undergo credit checks to verify their age The Australian government admitted this year that more than 70 per cent of under-16s still had “some access” to platforms three months after the law changed in December 2025 Children reported that it was “easy” to circumvent the ban. They are only required to undergo basic screening — where users take a selfie and artificial intelligence estimates their age — to access platforms if they do not wish to upload official documents. In the most brazen cases, children were able to bypass the restrictions by drawing beards onto their faces Others have resorted to using virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass checks by pretending they are based in another country, or pointing their phone’s camera at a screen showing an adult-looking face thetimes.com/article/9a7f374…

tually happens - the UK is demanding that websites in the US, with no legal presence in the UK, be censored, with threats of fines and prison. It's ridiculous.

"Our message to the Government is clear: defend the principle of free speech across the political spectrum and show the real leadership needed on the issue" Our polling reveals majority of Brits say gov only protects speech it agrees with More here ⬇️ independent.co.uk/news/uk/po…

Free speech could cost Labour at the next election, new poll by @libertyhq reveals 3 in 5 Britons said that a party's position on free speech would affect how they vote. The evidence is on the table - @andyburnham, launch a free speech reset now. Read⤵️ theguardian.com/world/2026/s…

I'm not sure why the UK thinks that the "social media ban" is going to go any better than the Online Safety Act. The (U.S.) services that comply, comply; VPN circumvention remains available; US services that refuse to comply will continue to be available.

🚨 NEW: The UK's social media ban for under-16s will come into effect from March 2027