UK to Ban Under-16s from Social Media Platforms

Following a consultation, the UK is banning young people under 16 from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced.

"This is a line in the sand," the PM said in a speech at his Downing street residence. "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."

The government aims to pass the legislation by the end of this year and start enforcing it in the spring of 2027.

The plan includes not only a ban from major social media platforms, but restrictions on gaming apps as well. Those include barring children under 16 from chatting with strangers, live streaming or using romantic chatbots.

"These restrictions... go further than any other country," the government press release states.

The UK will follow a similar model as the social media ban in Australia. Platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X will be required to disable under-16 access by default. Chat apps like WhatsApp or Telegram will note be affected.

The government is also looking at limited restrictions for youths under 18, like overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling.

Starmer acknowledged that kids will find ways around the ban, but said that wasn't a good excuse for not enacting a law.

"We don't say, 'Oh, look, a teenager managed to get a drink somehow, so let's not bother banning alcohol sales for children," he said. "Our laws are rules, but they're also an expression of our values. They shape the social contract, and so this will change the conversations that parents have and the expectations of children over time."

In January, the UK government launched the "Growing up in the online world" consultation into social media for kids, requesting feedback on whether and how to enforce that limit. The country's ministers also went to Australia to study the effects of that nation's social media ban, which went into effect on December 10, 2025. Only a month after it was enacted, Meta had shut down as many as 550,000 Australian accounts to comply with the law.

The results of the UK consultation showed that nine in 10 parents supported a minimum age of 16 for accessing social media apps, the government said.

At the same time, the PM added that the ban doesn't mean the UK is anti-tech. "I do not accept, and I will never accept that you can't be both pro tech and AI, and at the same time say we must protect our children," he said in the speech.