UK has announced a £132.5 million funding package for after-school clubs

File: Schools Week

The programme will support a wide range of extracurricular activities in schools, including music groups, debating societies, engineering clubs and sports programmes. Ministers say the investment is intended to give children meaningful alternatives to social media and encourage participation in activities that support personal development and well-being. The announcement comes ahead of an expected statement by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on new measures to limit children's access to social media platforms. The restrictions are expected to be introduced in the coming days.

According to The Guardian, Starmer is considering an Australian-style social media ban for under-16s, alongside other options such as curfews and restrictions on addictive platform features. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall previously said that a ban remains “on the table.” Government officials say the funding will help schools offer structured after-school programmes at a time when concerns about young people's mental health continue to grow. The Department for Education pointed to findings from a survey of more than 14,000 young people, which showed that despite being the most digitally connected generation, many teenagers continue to experience high levels of loneliness.

In a further move, Ofsted will take a school's extracurricular and enrichment offer into account when assessing personal development. Ministers say the change is designed to place greater importance on activities outside the classroom.

The government's broader online safety plans are expected to prevent under-16s from accessing what officials describe as "high-risk" social media platforms. Additional restrictions could target features such as disappearing messages, live-streaming services and direct contact from adult strangers. Ministers are also expected to ban romantic or sexual AI chatbots for anyone under the age of 18. Public support for tougher measures appears strong. A government consultation on children's online safety, which closed in early June and received more than 116,000 responses, found that nine in ten parents support a social media ban for children under 16. Officials described it as one of the largest consultation responses received by the government in recent years.

However, questions remain about how the reforms will be implemented. Legal experts and industry observers have raised concerns about potential challenges, particularly regarding how the government will determine which platforms should face stricter restrictions and which should be classified as lower risk. 

The Conservative Party has also called for stronger action. Party leader Kemi Badenoch said earlier this week that "social media is for adults, it's not for children."

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the funding package is intended to ensure that access to opportunities is not determined by a child's background or family income.

"Every child should be able to enjoy sport and the creative arts, not just the lucky few," Phillipson said. "Whether it's performing on stage, playing sport, exploring nature or getting involved in their community, these experiences build confidence, spark ambition and help young people discover what they are capable of."

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the programme would help tackle inequalities in access to enrichment opportunities.

"A child who loves the arts shouldn't have to be born into the right postcode to pursue it," she said.

Despite welcoming the government's ambitions, school leaders warned that delivering the programme could prove difficult. Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said schools continue to face significant financial and staffing pressures.

"Those pressures will not disappear simply because the government announces new policies," he said. "It has to focus more on how to turn aspirations into realities."

The government expects the after-school programme to be introduced alongside its wider online safety reforms and is expected to provide further details soon on which platforms will be subject to the new restrictions.