The government is expected to stop short of a full Australia-style blanket ban on social media for children, after a major consultation on the issue came to a close on Tuesday.
Ministers are instead reportedly looking at banning addictive features like infinite scrolling, autoplay and location sharing for under-16s, tech industry insiders and civil society groups believe.
The government has been looking closely at the results of the Australian policy on social media, which involves a complete ban for under-16s.
But according to The Times, research suggests the majority of under-16s are still using social media since the new laws came into force at the end of last year.
One tech insider told the newspaper that many social media platforms “see the writing on the wall” as Europe also is looking to restrict addictive features for children.
They added: "While the platforms are opposed to categorical social media bans, they don’t think that the UK is going in that direction.”
The prime minister is expected to set out plans for a clampdown on social media for under-16s over the coming weeks ahead of the Makerfield by-election, taking place on 18 June.
It comes after the consultation closed on Tuesday, with the Press Association reporting that more than 81,000 responses were submitted.
Asked whether the government plans to stop short of an outright ban for under-16s and impose a ban on addictive measures instead, Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson said: "This is a really serious and important issue. We will act.
“I think it was right to listen to parents, listen to teachers, listen to experts in the technology sector - I think [the consultation] had 70,000 or more responses and closed yesterday. We will come forward with proposals and we will act in a serious way.”
He added: “We definitely can't just tinker around the edges. This is a really serious issue affecting millions of young people growing up in this country.
"I have a little two year old, my plan is just not to put him anywhere near a smartphone until he's 16.”
The debate around social media has only intensified in recent days, with former health secretary Wes Streeting - who is widely expected to challenge the prime minister - warning that lawmakers are “asleep at the wheel” on social media and technology regulation.
He called for an outright ban on social media for under-16s, saying it should be “treated like tobacco”.
Mr Streeting continued: “It’s extremely addictive, bad for our health, and big tech is borrowing the big tobacco playbook to avoid regulation.
“We’ve got to give our children their childhood back. A ban for under-16s must be the start, not the end. We have given the pen to tech moguls to write our future for us. It’s time to take the pen back.”
As the consultation wrapped up, Sir Keir met with the bereaved parents of children whose deaths were linked to social media in Downing Street on Tuesday.
They demanded the PM delivers a ban on under-16s using social media and ensures all schools implement phone-free policies, urging him to set out the measures in a matter of “weeks, not months”.
Speaking outside of No 10 after the meeting, the parents, many of whom carried a picture of their child, also demanded an immediate review of regulator Ofcom and the introduction of an e-safety commission with oversight of tech companies and online safety regulation.
Ellen Roome, who believes her son Jools Sweeney died aged 14 after looking at harmful content online, said: “We have been campaigning for years and been crying out for action. They now need to step up and do something.”
She added: “While we’re waiting, more and more children are dying. They need to take action – apparently that will be weeks, not months.”
Ms Roome said the families were grateful their stories were “treated with respect”, and added that the prime minister “told us clearly that he would act within weeks and we will now hold him to it”.
Meanwhile, Ruth Moss, whose daughter Sophie Parkinson, 13, died in 2014, said she had “mixed feelings” about the meeting.
“It was very positive to have a meeting: it’s the first prime minister to sit down with bereaved families,” she said. “I’ve been doing this for about just under 12 years now, and so I’m a natural cynic.”
While some groups have said that a ban may not be the appropriate instrument to tackle a wide spread of social media harms, Ms Moss said it would be a “good first step”.
“I think there are more measures that need to be put in place as well,” she added. “It isn’t just about a ban, it’s a complex issue, we need more than one solution.”
Lorin LaFave, the mother of 14-year-old Breck Bednar who was murdered after being groomed online, said: “We need the Prime Minister to choose children over Big Tech.”
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has been contacted for comment.
