MINISTERS must urgently ban social media for under-16s to protect their mental health and stop worsening behaviour in schools, a teaching union said today.

NASUWT called for legislation to make big tech platforms prevent children from accessing their platforms, similar to the Australian government’s social media ban for youngsters, which came into force last month.

General secretary Matt Wrack said: “If we are serious about safeguarding children, protecting their mental health and combating the behaviour crisis in our schools, then a statutory ban for under‑16s must happen urgently.

“Our members tell us that social media is now one of the biggest drivers of poor behaviour, anxiety and disengagement in the classroom.

“We believe the government should join other countries and help children and young people by moving to a ban, which would have widespread support among parents and teachers.”

Nearly nine in 10 teachers back a statutory social ban for under-16s, a poll of 300 NASUWT teacher members found last year.

A separate survey of 5,800 union members found that 81 per cent reported a rise in the number of pupils exhibiting violent and abusive behaviour in a survey last year. Nearly three in five said that they believed social media was one of the driving factors behind deteriorating behaviour.

In his annual report last month, chief of schools watchdog Ofsted Sir Martyn Oliver warned that social media is “chipping away” at children’s attention spans and promoting disrespectful behaviour.

A government spokesperson said that the Online Safety Act represents “some of the boldest steps anywhere in the world to ensure children have age-appropriate experiences online.

“We are striking the right balance: protecting children from harm while ensuring they can benefit safely from the digital world.”