UK to ban under-16s from major social media platforms
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a ban on children under 16 using several social-media apps, with enforcement aimed at tech companies and penalties for non-compliance.
Britain will prohibit users younger than 16 from accessing a range of social-media services, including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, the prime minister said on Monday. The measure, slated to take effect early next year, follows similar age-based restrictions introduced in countries such as Australia, Canada and Brazil. Platforms that fail to implement reasonable age-verification steps could face multimillion-pound fines, while enforcement will target the companies rather than the children.
Starmer told a news conference that the government will also act to prevent strangers from contacting minors on gaming and livestreaming services and is considering additional safeguards such as overnight curfews and limits on continuous scrolling for users under 18. He said the policy reflects widespread public support, noting that more than 90% of 116,000 responses to a public consultation favored an under-16 ban.
Child-safety charities welcomed the proposal but urged robust age-check mechanisms and effective enforcement. Critics, including digital-rights groups, raised concerns about the privacy implications of age-verification systems. A YouTube spokesperson warned that a blanket restriction might push children toward less-supervised platforms.
The United States expressed reservations that the regulations could infringe on free-speech protections and impose additional burdens on American technology firms. Starmer said he expects to discuss the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump and other leaders at the upcoming G7 summit.
"Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy," Starmer said.
"I honestly think that across world leaders, there has always been a recognition that leaders have to take steps to protect children," he added.
Experts cautioned that overly broad bans could drive some users to riskier sites and that technical enforcement of device-level controls is challenging, while policing platforms may be more feasible.