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UK Under-16 Social Ban
The United Kingdom announced that children under the age of 16 will be banned from using social media platforms from early next year, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying the ban will come into force in spring 2027.
“The UK government has announced a sweeping ban on social media access for children and young people under the age of 16, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirming the policy will take effect in Spring 2027”
Starmer said the platforms were "designed to be addictive," making them "dangerous" and leaving youngsters "unhappy," and the BBC reported the government hoped to pass regulation before Christmas.
The BBC said apps including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram will become inaccessible for children, while messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal will not be banned, and YouTube Kids is also exempt.
The government said over-16s may have to verify their ages to continue using social media platforms, and it also plans restrictions for under-16s on livestreaming and strangers being able to contact children.
The BBC added that intimate and sexual chats with AI will be banned for under-18s, and it said the government will look at restrictions on infinite scroll and curfews for 16- and 17-year-olds.
Big Tech Pushback
The ban drew warnings from tech companies, with a YouTube spokesperson telling the BBC that "Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services."
Meta also warned that a ban risked "isolating teens from online communities and information, and driving them to unregulated alternatives," according to the BBC.
In the House of Commons, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the measures would "take power away from the tech giants, who have had countless opportunities to keep children safe," as the BBC described.
The BBC reported that the government’s plan would require platforms to verify ages, while the NPR account said Starmer would fight back if technology companies resist the move and acknowledged some teens would try to find their way around a ban.
The NPR story also quoted Starmer saying, "Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy," and it said the U.K. received 116,000 responses during a public comment period.
Enforcement, AI, and Stakes
Beyond the age cutoff, the UK government said it would also restrict harmful functions, including livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s, and it said these restrictions would be on by default for 16- and 17-year-olds to prevent a "cliff-edge at 16."
The GOV.UK announcement said so-called AI "romantic companion" chatbots designed to simulate sexual relationships or roleplay with users will have to enforce a minimum age of 18.
GOV.UK also said the government will learn from Australia’s experience by introducing more highly effective age assurance (HEAA) measures, with Ofcom conducting a rapid study on what is effective age assurance for verifying whether someone is over 16.
The BBC reported that the ban was generally welcomed by bereaved parents, including Esther Ghey, who told BBC Breakfast, "I'm so glad now that this announcement has been made", after her daughter Brianna was killed in 2023 by two teenagers.
In contrast, the BBC said Wales children’s commissioner Rocio Cifuentes called the ban "was too simplistic a framing" and that accountability should have been on the platforms to make them safe for children to use.
