The UK’s social media ban for under-16s is official, with legislation set to be finalized to officially launch in 2027. Prime Minister and Labor leader Keir Starmer unveiled landmark legislation on Monday, which will make the likes of
It does not include messaging services, such as WhatsApp. The government said the ban will officially begin by spring 2027 once the legislation is finalized.
“Children will reclaim their childhood,” the UK government said on Monday, promising “world-leading action”, with “less time to surf and more time to play. The plans will establish a new normal for future generations, kick-start a cultural shift and advance the government’s fight to give every child the best start in life.”
“The government plans to use the same model to ban social media as Australia. This would take over user-to-user platforms, which aim to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, along with algorithms. Therefore, the ban will include platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. We do not intend to include messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal in the social media ban,” the department added.
The goal is to “take over user-to-user communication platforms, which aim to enable social interaction and which, combined with algorithms, allow users to post material.”
Media regulator Ofcom, tasked with setting out the details, said: “To date, Ofcom has led some of the strongest changes to any online safety regulation in the world, from widespread age checks to child protection. But the industry needs to go much further to make people safe. The government has entrusted us to build on this progress with new measures to protect children, and we stand ready to work closely with them as the detailed regulations take shape.”
Starmer said: “Parents want to keep their children safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever. I’ve heard first-hand from families demanding change and we will do what’s right for them. That’s why we’re going further than any country in the world by banning social media for under-16s and putting in place wider protections to take children back to their childhoods.”
He concluded, “This is a line in the sand. The tech giants had their chance and failed, but we are stepping in to protect children, support parents, and create a new normal for future generations.”
The government also highlighted the emergence of “so-called AI-powered ‘romantic chatbots’ – designed to simulate sexual relations or role-playing with users” which “will have to impose a minimum age of 18. Similar intimate functions for under-18s will be restricted on AI-based chatbots more broadly.”
UK Technology Minister Liz Kendall said: “Today we take a bold and important step towards creating safer and healthier lives online for our children and generations to come.”
The UK government concluded: “Taken together, these measures will mean a much more comprehensive model than just a blanket ban on social media – one that responds to how children experience harm online, not just where it happens.”
