Government announce ban on social media for under-16s

The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, today announced that the government would be introducing a ban on social media for those under 16. The ban, which would cover popular platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube, is expected to come into force in the Spring.

The Prime Minister announced the widely-expected ban at a press conference on Monday morning. “All I've ever wanted for my own children, hand on heart,” he said, “is for them to be happy and for them to be safe, I think that's what any parent wants.” He explained that social media makes children unhappy, harms mental health, and prevents them engaging with friends and family.

“I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen, and why this ban will happen” he said. “This is a line in the sand. Tech giants had their chance and failed, but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations.”

The Government expect to use existing powers to pass regulations to enforce the ban by Christmas this year, with the ban coming into effect from Spring 2027. A full list of regulated platforms has not yet been released but it is expected to cover Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X, among others.

The Prime Minister said that the government has learned from bans in other countries, such as Australia, and is going further by implementing restrictions on gaming services and livestreaming platforms. These restrictions will not only apply to under-16s by default, but will also apply to under-18s as well.

The government’s announcement noted that messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal, will not be covered by the upcoming ban. The government are also considering further measures, such as overnight curfews and restrictions on infinite scrolling for under-18s which will be announced in July.

Ofcom, the communications regulator, will be conducting a rapid study on effective age verification measures to be able to enforce the ban, and the Secretary of State has asked the Ofcom chair for an urgent review of its enforcement capabilities and strategy. The government have committed to ensuring that Ofcom has the funding it needs to implement these new regulations along with its responsibility to enforce the Online Safety Act.

The announcement has been welcomed by children’s charities such as Barnardo’s and the NSPCC, while social media companies have responded with warnings about a push toward unsafe platforms. A spokesperson for YouTube said that “YouTube is a vital resource for young people, educators and parents, external. Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less safe services.” Snapchat’s spokesperson echoed the same thought, saying: “An outright ban that disconnects teens from those relationships doesn't make them safer - it may simply push them to less safe platforms,”

The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, see the ban as positive but argues that it should be extended to under 18s. “Children tell me that digital spaces are where they learn, connect and find community” she said. “But they want an end to the harms: addictive design that keeps them scrolling, the explicit content they wish they’d never seen, and the strangers who should never be able to contact them.”