The Isle of Man Government is monitoring developments in the UK over potential age limits for access to social media, but no formal proposals have been brought before the Council of Ministers.

Responding to a question in the House of Keys by Arbory, Castletown and Malew MHK Jason Moorhouse, Chief Minister Alfred Cannan confirmed that while the issue has been discussed informally, it has not been formally considered.

He told members on Tuesday morning: ‘No formal documents have been presented to the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers have, on occasion, referenced the matter, but not in a formal way.’

Mr Cannan said the Department for Education, Sport and Culture had already taken steps to reduce harm to young people online, including a mobile phone and smart devices policy introduced in schools in January 2025 which ‘aims to disrupt bullying and other issues in schools, alongside increasing the social interaction of pupils within the school environment’.

He also pointed to the Sexual Offences and Obscene Duplications Act 2021, introduced in March 2024, which addresses ‘image based abuse, online grooming, revenge porn, voyeurism and upskirting alongside strengthening provisions related to child protection and sentencing’.

Referring to the UK’s Online Safety Act 2023, the Chief Minister noted it contains ‘a permissive extent clause which would allow some or all of the Act to be extended to the island, with modifications as necessary.’

Asked whether the government had approached UK counterparts about potential social media bans for under-16s, he replied: ‘That’s not yet formally been promoted, but absolutely we would, of course, be working very closely with the UK Government to understand the implications, of course, to ensure that our young people are properly protected.’

He added: ‘The bigger question of an outright ban is more complex, and we are monitoring developments around the globe.’