UK To Ban Children Under 16 From Social Media

The UK government has announced plans to ban social media use for children under the age of 16, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirming the measure will come into force in early 2027.

He said restricting children’s access to social media was “the right step for Britain” and necessary to improve online safety for young people.

Under the proposed ban, platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X would be affected, although ministers have not yet published a full list of services covered.

The government said the rules would apply to platforms “whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material”.

The legislation will also require platforms to block under-16s from using livestreaming functions, including on gaming services.

In addition, services will have to restrict features that allow strangers to contact children, with similar safeguards set as default for under-17s to avoid a sudden change at age 16.

Ministers are also considering further protections, including overnight usage limits and breaks from endless scrolling for under-18s, with more details expected in July.

AI “romantic companion” chatbots designed for sexual or relationship-style interaction will be restricted to adults only, while other AI chatbots will have to limit so-called “intimate functionalities” for under-18s.

Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal are not expected to be included in the ban.

Although most social media platforms already require users to be at least 13, the government said the new measures would go further by introducing stricter age-based controls. The proposals are expected to be implemented by spring 2027.

The Prime Minister said the policy does not mean children will never be able to access social media, but insisted stronger safeguards are needed to protect young people online.

More: BBC News