Sundus Abdi is a Guardian reporter.
YouTube has said that the social media ban for under-16s announced by Keir Starmer this morning could push teenagers into using “less-safe services”.
A YouTube spokesperson said:
We’ve invested in expert-led, age-appropriate experiences and default protections for teens for over a decade and will continue to do so.
YouTube is a vital resource for young people, educators and parents.
Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services.
