The Government has this morning confirmed a social media ban for under-16s in the UK.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour administration said children will be given back their childhoods under plans to ban social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and X from offering services to under-16s, ‘with less time for scrolling and more time for play’.
The Government plans to use the same model for a social media ban as Australia. This would capture user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms.
It does not intend for messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to be included in the social media ban.
The Government also intends to issue blocks on harmful functions such as livestreaming and chatting with strangers on platforms such as gaming sites.
It says the overall restrictions go further than any other country.
Restrictions on these functionalities will also be on by default for under 16- and 17-year-olds to prevent a so-called ‘cliff-edge’ at 16. The Government will also be looking in more detail at overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18-year-olds and will set out more detail in July.
“Parents want to keep their kids safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever,” said PM Starmer. “I’ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them.
“That’s why we’re going further than any country in the world by banning social media for under-16s and putting wider protections in place to give kids their childhood back.
“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.”
So-called AI ‘romantic companion’ chatbots – designed to simulate sexual relationships or roleplay with users – will have to enforce a minimum age of 18. Similar intimate functionalities will be restricted for under-18s on AI chatbots more widely.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Today we take a bold and significant step, towards creating a safer, healthier life online, for our children and future generations.
“Tech companies have had countless opportunities to keep children safe, yet they have failed to act. That is why we are taking power away from the tech giants and putting it back in parents’ hands.
“My driving force has always been to give every child, from every background, the best possible start in life. That is what these regulations will deliver.”
The Government says it will also learn the lessons from Australia’s experience by introducing more highly effective age assurance (HEAA) measures to support compliance, making it far harder for children to bypass safeguards.
Ofcom will conduct a rapid study on what is effective age assurance for verifying whether someone is over 16. The Secretary of State has also written to the new Chair of Ofcom to ask for an urgent review of Ofcom’s enforcement capabilities with a clear enforcement strategy to be published as soon as possible.
More than 116,000 responses to the consultation on a social media ban were submitted by parents, children and experts across the country. The responses showed overwhelming public backing for tougher action, the Government says: 9 in 10 parents said they would support a social media ban for children under 16.
The majority of young people also backed action, with two-thirds agreeing that children younger than 16 should not be allowed to use at least some social media platforms.