Sri Lanka, June 29 -- On June 15, 2026, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stood before cameras and announced something that would have seemed extreme even five years ago. The United Kingdom, one of the most digitally connected societies on earth, was banning children under 16 from social media.
TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, and X would all be off-limits to anyone born after a certain date. "Social media is making our children unhappy and unsafe," Starmer said. "As a parent, as much as a Prime Minister, I just can't let that go on anymore."
The announcement was significant. But it was not, by any stretch, the first of its kind. Australia had already moved. France was close behind. Norway, Indonesia, and China had each...