Do you want to ban kids from social media? The government is asking

The government wants to know if you want to ban young people from social media.

In a consultation launching today, the British public will be asked how they want to protect young people online - and it could result in an Australia-style ban. But blocking younger teenagers from apps like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram isn't the only measure being considered.

Also on the table: overnight social media curfews, restrictions to "addictive" features like infinite scrolling and autoplay, and blocks to stop children using chatbots. The government is describing this as the "world's most ambitious consultation" and its results could bring about the biggest change to social media since Myspace went mainstream in the early noughties.

So why now? Less than a year ago, I interviewed a bereaved mother, Ellen Roome, at her house in Cheltenham and she told me she wanted to ban children from social media. Her son, Jools, died at just 14 years old after she believes he attempted a dangerous online challenge.

A ban sounded reasonable considering what she'd gone through, but unlikely to be coming into UK law any time soon. Now, less than nine months later, the tide has turned.

Widespread enforcement of the Online Safety Act's age restrictions sparked conversations - and worries - about what young people were being exposed to online. Then, in December, Australia implemented a nationwide ban of under-16s from major social media sites.

A slew of other countries, including France, Spain, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy and more, are now planning to do the same. If the polls are anything to go by, the British public wants to follow suit - and it could come soon.

The government has changed the way it would implement a ban, meaning that if the consultation suggests it's a good idea, it could be in place within "months not years.