Pakistan, Jan. 20 -- The UK government is exploring measures to better protect children online, including an Australia-style ban on social media for minors and stricter mobile phone use rules in schools.

Officials said they will review global evidence to assess whether a social media ban for children under a certain age would be effective and how it could be implemented successfully.

Ministers plan to visit Australia, which recently became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, to learn from its approach and adapt lessons for the UK context.

The proposals come amid growing concerns over mental health and online safety, particularly as AI-generated content and harmful material increase risks for children exposed to...