British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that the UK will ban social media for under-16s, claiming that the planned measures will go “further than any country in the world” to protect children from online harms.
The proposed social media ban will affect “user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms,” said the UK government in a statement Monday.
This means children will no longer be allowed to access platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal will not be affected, added the government.
“The changes will back parents grappling with the risks for children that come from the online world and help empower them by providing a clear decision on what is safe and age-appropriate for children,” said Starmer in the statement.
The government is planning to put the bill to lawmakers before Christmas, “with protections expected to come into force in Spring 2027,” according to the statement.
UK technology secretary Liz Kendall added that Britain plans to learn from Australia’s experience by “making it far harder for children to bypass safeguards.”
The government will also work with UK communications services regulator Ofcom on an enforcement strategy, Kendall added.
Nine in 10 British parents back the ban, according to the UK government, and children’s charities have also welcomed the move.
At the same time, Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo’s, warned that a ban “is not a silver bullet.”
“It is as important as ever that social media companies take responsibility for making their platforms safe and the government and regulators robustly hold them to account. It is not, and has never been, children’s job to keep themselves safe,” she said in a statement Monday.
In February, sSpain banned social media for under 16s and introduced rules requiring platforms to employ strict age verification tools, and Malaysia started enforcing its own ban earlier this month.
France, Denmark and Norway have also announced plans to prevent children from accessing social media.
In December, Australia became the first country to implement a social media ban for under-16s, barring access to 10 platforms.
