The United Kingdom is preparing to introduce a nationwide ban preventing children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer intensifies efforts to strengthen online safety for young people.
Announcing the proposal on Monday, Starmer said social media platforms are contributing to declining well-being among children by exposing them to harmful and addictive content.
According to the Prime Minister, the government plans to prohibit under-16s from using major social media platforms and hopes to pass the legislation by late December, with implementation expected in the spring of next year.
“We will ban access to social media for all children under the age of 16.”
He added that these platforms are:
“Making children unhappy.”
And are:
“Exposing them to content that is dangerous” and “designed to be addictive.”
Which Platforms Will Be Affected?
The proposed ban will apply to major social media services, including:
- Snapchat
- TikTok
- YouTube
- X
However, messaging platforms such as WhatsApp will not be included.
The government also announced plans to introduce additional measures targeting gaming services and live-streaming platforms that enable strangers to interact with children online.
“Is there a situation in the offline world where you would just let your child pair up with a stranger? An adult that you don’t know about? No. So we’re taking action on that.”
Further details are expected to be released in July.
More Restrictions Under Consideration
The UK government said it is exploring additional digital safety measures for users under 18.
These include:
- Overnight curfews
- Mandatory breaks from infinite scrolling
- Tighter controls on gaming platforms
- Stronger regulations for live-streaming services
The initiative follows a government consultation that allowed British teenagers to test social media restrictions and app usage limits.
The consultation attracted approximately 116,000 responses, making it the second-largest public consultation in UK history.
Among respondents:
- 83% of parents said the risks of social media outweigh its benefits for children.
- 91% supported a minimum age limit of 16.
Australia Influenced the Decision
Starmer said the UK’s proposal was partly inspired by Australia, which became the world’s first country to ban social media access for under-16s in December.
Several other countries are also introducing similar restrictions.
Canada recently introduced legislation that would ban under-16s from owning social media accounts and require AI chatbot services to limit harmful content.
Indonesia also began enforcing a social media ban for users under 16 in March.
Meanwhile, several European nations are considering comparable measures.
YouTube Warns Against Blanket Ban
A spokesperson for YouTube cautioned that broad restrictions could have unintended consequences.
The company warned that banning children from mainstream platforms could drive them toward less regulated and potentially unsafe online spaces.
UK Tightens Child Protection Measures
The announcement comes one week after the UK government directed technology companies to prevent children from sending or receiving explicit images on their devices.
Companies including Apple and Google have been given three months to introduce child safety tools that block access to nude images on phones and tablets.
Officials warned that legislation would be introduced if companies fail to comply.
The government said technology firms have a:
“Moral responsibility” to “protect children from coercion, abuse and sextortion”.
The proposed reforms would also strengthen restrictions on children’s access to online pornography and make it more difficult for predators to target minors online.
According to an analysis by the Internet Watch Foundation cited by the government, 91 per cent of online child sexual abuse reports recorded in 2024 involved self-generated content created by children.
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