Under-16s face being banned from social media under plans being discussed by government ministers

UNDER-16s face being banned from using social media under plans being discussed by government ministers.

The potential harm of sites such as TikTok and Instagram is set to be discussed next month.

A decision has yet to be made but it could lead to a total ban or improved parental controls.

A No10 spokeswoman confirmed: “We are looking broadly at this issue of keeping children safe online.”

The recent Online Safety Act has put more responsibility on tech company bosses to protect young people online.

The move comes as the National Crime Agency warns parents over allowing their children on Facebook after it introduced encrypted messaging.

It means the tech giant will no longer be able to see what users are sharing — which could allow children to be groomed.

The NCA fears that most of the referrals and reports from Facebook and Instagram will no longer be passed to police.

It also believes Meta’s decision is based on profitability.

Rob Jones, of the NCA, said: “Children are masquerading as adults because there’s no age verification, and paedophiles are masquerading as children to establish relationships.”

Schools Minister Damian Hinds said it was time for parent company Meta to “rethink its decision”.

A spokesman for Meta said: “Encryption helps keep people safe from hackers, fraudsters and criminals.

“We don’t think people want us reading their private messages so have developed robust safety measures.”