Education Minister welcomes social media ban to protect children online

Date published: 15 June 2026

Under the proposals, social media platforms will be required to prevent under-16s from accessing their services. The measures are expected to apply to major social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, X and YouTube alongside wider protections aimed at reducing harmful online experiences for children and young people. 

Describing the proposals as a significant step towards safeguarding young people and supporting healthier childhoods, Paul Givan said: 

“I strongly welcome this decisive action to place children’s wellbeing and safety at the heart of the online world. Young people today are growing up in an increasingly digital environment, and it is vital that protections keep pace with the risks they face.

“As a father of three teenage girls, I understand the concerns shared by parents across Northern Ireland about what children can be exposed to online and the impact excessive social media use can have on their wellbeing, development and education.

“Since becoming Education Minister, I have taken forward a number of initiatives to encourage healthier digital habits among children and young people. For example, the Department has funded a pilot of mobile phone inhibiting devices in nine post-primary schools to test and evaluate the practicalities and impact of this approach in real school settings.

“The feedback from participating schools has been overwhelmingly positive. School leaders have reported improvements in pupil engagement, concentration, behaviour and social interaction, with many describing the impact as transformative for teaching and learning.

“The pilot concluded at the end of March and an independent evaluation is currently being finalised by King’s College London. I will carefully consider the findings, which are due to be submitted to the Department this month, before determining the next steps.”

The Department of Education also continues to invest in the Safer Schools NI platform that is made freely available to all education settings, pupils and parents. The platform provides advice, guidance and information on a range of safeguarding issues, with particular attention paid to risks in the online world, emerging social media platforms and online harms.

The Minister continued: 

“I recently wrote to all schools to raise awareness of the Smartphone Free Childhood Parent Pact initiative, which encourages parents to delay smartphone ownership and helps reduce early exposure to social media and online harms.

“For too long, parents have been expected to navigate a digital landscape that was never designed with children’s best interests in mind. Today’s proposals recognise that children deserve stronger protections and that social media platforms must be held accountable for the environments they create.

“I also want to commend the work of the Smartphone Free Childhood organisation for its leadership in raising awareness of the risks associated with early smartphone and social media use and for supporting parents in building healthier digital habits.

“Today’s announcement is an important and necessary step towards helping young people enjoy healthier, safer and more balanced childhoods and I look forward to seeing these measures brought forward.”