MPs have rejected an Australia-style ban on social media for under-16s, and have instead backed flexible ministerial powers, BBC reported. 

A ban on sites like Tiktok, Instagram, and Snapchat was brought in for children in Australia at the end of last year -- the first country to impose a ban -- and similar plans were backed by peers in the House of Lords in January.

Supporters include actor Hugh Grant, but critics such as children's charity the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) warned of young people being driven to dark corners of the internet as a result, according to BBC.