In case you missed the landmark announcement yesterday, it has been confirmed that social media is to be banned for under-16s in the UK.
That’s right – in what is said to be a bid to ‘give kids their childhood back’ and set ‘a new normal’ for future generations by kickstarting a cultural shift, the Government has announced that social media platforms will be banned from offering their services to under-16s – meaning less time for scrolling and more time for play.
The Government says it plans to use the same model for a social media ban as Australia, which was introduced back in 2024.
But what exactly does that mean? And what social media platforms are set to be included within the upcoming ban and which ones aren’t?
Well, according to the Government and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, the UK’s ban would capture user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction, allow users to post their own material, alongside algorithms.
The Government has announced a social media ban for under 16s / Credit: Julian Christ (via Unsplash)
The ban will, therefore, include popular social media platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X.
But crucially, at this time, it is not intended for messaging services like WhatsApp to be included.
The Government says it is also planning to go even further than any other country, as on top of a blanket ban on social media, world-leading blocks on harmful functions – such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children – will also be blocked for under-16s, and will apply to a wider range of online services, including on gaming sites.
Restrictions on these functionalities will also be on by default for 16- and 17-year-olds to prevent what ministers are calling a ‘cliff-edge’ at 16.
And to go even further, the Government says it will be ‘looking in more detail’ at the potential to introduce overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for those under 18 – with more information to be provided on this next month.
“This is a decisive first step which marks a clear choice to put children’s wellbeing first and give them a healthy life online,” the Government said in a statement. “We stand ready to take further measures in the future.”
Speaking on the upcoming ban and further restrictions, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Parents want to keep their kids safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever.
“I’ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them.
“That’s why we’re going further than any country in the world by banning social media for under-16s and putting wider protections in place to give kids their childhood back.
“This is a line in the sand. Tech giants had their chance and failed, but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations.”
The tiramisu hype lives on, and this time it's coming to Leeds.
It really does feel like the traditional Italian dessert has taken the world by storm as of late.
Everything from tiramisu cups and tiramisu coffees have been popping up all over our feed, and now tiramisu in drawer form is popping up in the city centre.
Misu Tiramisu is an independent business that began at Manchester's Christmas Markets and quickly became one of the most popular operators, all thanks to its miniature tiramisu ‘drawers’.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The individually portioned and colourfully packaged desserts quickly became one of town’s top puddings, and owners Aleem and Aishah went on to launch a stand inside the Manchester Arndale too.
And now they’re branching out again in Leeds inside Trinity shopping centre for a two month residency.
You’ll find all their delicious flavours of handmade tiramisu, including classic, pistachio, chocolate, Biscoff, mango, and lemon - they'll also have some gluten-free tiramisu on offer as well, so no one has to miss out.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Misu Tiramisu owners Aleem and Aishah spent a year refining the recipe for their tiramisus after a trip to Milan, first launching with their first market stall in Sale.
Misu Tiramisu is now open inside Trinity shopping centre opposite Boots Opticians and Pop Specs.
They're open every day of the week for you to get your tiramisu fix, from 9am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and from 11am to 5pm on a Sunday.
And trust us Leeds, they're just as delicious as they are adorable.
Fossilised 320-million-year-old fish found in Leeds’ Roundhay Park
Clementine Hall
A prehistoric fish fossil has been unearthed at Roundhay Park in Leeds.
The fascinating prehistoric skull bone of a coelacanth fish was discovered by a geologist at Roundhay Park earlier this year.
It is thought the creature was frozen in time aeons ago, during an era when the park was submerged under a vast tropical lagoon.
The remarkable discovery has now been kindly donated to Leeds Museums and Galleries and added to the natural sciences collection at Leeds Discovery Centre.
Image: Leeds City Council
The Leeds fossil was found by Ru Smith of the Yorkshire Geological Society during a reconnaissance walk he was carrying out ahead of a planned field excursion in the north Leeds park.
Describing the moment he made the discovery, Ru said: “There’s a layer of rock in the park which dates from around 320 million years ago, from a time before the breakup of the continents, when what is now the park would have been situated close the Equator and under the warm waters of a tropical lagoon. West Central Africa would be a good place to find similar environments in the present.
“There’s a bed of freshwater mussels called Carbonicola at one level in the rock, and opening a piece of shale from this bed in my hands I saw something unusual – a distinctive skull bone of a large fish. I knew straight away this was something different and very rare."
The bone was verified byexperts as belonging to a coelacanth older than those found elsewhere in Yorkshire, making it the oldest fossil coelacanth discovered in the region.
Ru added: “Coelacanths are pretty amazing fish and it’s just very cool to think that at one time, you could have been standing in Leeds and watching them swim around above a bed of mussels in Roundhay Park.
“That’s really the wonder of geology, looking at the rock and time travelling in the imagination to what was a very different world.”
Emily Sergeant -
16th June 2026 
