U.K. government prepares social media ban for children under 16

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to unveil a policy banning social media usage for children under the age of 16 in a speech on Monday, according to multiple reports. While the government had previously revealed that it was studying options around a ban, both The Guardian and the Financial Times reported on the policy that Starmer is now ready to unveil. Government sources told The Guardian that the U.K. ban will cover a similar range of social platforms as Australia, where TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X, Threads, Snapchat, Twitch, and Kick are all banned for users under 16.

Other digital products, such as gaming apps, would not be banned outright under the proposed policy. However, for their younger users, these gaming apps would need to remove features like the ability to chat with strangers. The policy would also prohibit users under 18 from accessing romantic and sexual chatbots, while seeking to prevent late-night scrolling.

To enforce the ban, the government can use its existing regulatory powers for some aspects, but new legislation may also be required, The Guardian reported. The U.K. is one of a number of countries following Australia’s lead by considering bans on social media use by children. These proposed restrictions come amid growing discussion around the effect of social media usage on teens and children. For example, the mother of murdered teen Brianna Ghey has called for a teen social media ban in the U.K. She stated that her daughter’s eating order and self-harming behavior were “significantly exacerbated by the harmful content she was consuming online.”

At the same time, these bans have been criticized for potentially violating user privacy and isolating children, while offering unproven benefits to their mental health. The U.K. has already passed an age-verification law that was similarly touted as protecting the safety of children online. However, age-verification laws—which, unlike outright bans, have taken effect in multiple U.S. states—have also been criticized as threats to online privacy and anonymity. Critics also point out that these verification methods are not exactly foolproof.

Why it matters

The U.K. is joining a growing movement to regulate youth access to digital platforms, signaling a shift toward stricter state-mandated age verification. This regulatory momentum could reshape how social platforms operate in the region as governments increasingly intervene in online safety.