Following Australia's announcement of its intention to introduce legislation aimed at reducing the harm social media inflicts on young people, the UK's Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle, stated on BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme on Wednesday (20.11.24) that he is considering all options, including a similar prohibition.

This consideration follows a spate of riots in the UK, believed to be incited by disinformation spread via social media, with minors reportedly involved.

In response to the Online Safety Act (OSA) passed last year, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) emphasised the government's commitment to combating the widespread issue of online misinformation and disinformation.

A statement read: “A particular area of focus for the government is the vast amount of misinformation and disinformation that can be encountered by users online. Platforms should have robust policies and tools in place to minimise this content where it relates to their duties under the Act. Countering misinformation and disinformation is challenging for services, given the need to preserve legitimate debate and free speech online. However, the growing presence of disinformation poses a unique threat to our democratic processes and to societal cohesion in the UK and must be robustly countered. Services should also remain live to emerging information threats, with the flexibility to quickly and robustly respond, and minimise the damaging effects on users, particularly vulnerable groups.”