UK may ban social media for children under 16

According to multiple reports, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is about to announce a ban on social media usage for children under the age of 16. While the government had previously revealed that it was studying options around a ban, both The Guardian and the Financial Times reported that Starmer is now ready to unveil the policy in a speech on Monday.

Government sources told The Guardian that the UK ban will cover a similar range of social platforms as Australia, where TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X, Threads, Snapchat, Twitch, and Kick are all banned for users under 16. Other products, such as gaming apps, would not be banned outright, but for their younger users, they’d need to remove features like the ability to chat with strangers. The policy would also prohibit users under 18 from accessing romantic and sexual chatbots and seek to prevent late-night scrolling.

The government can use its existing regulatory powers to enforce some aspects of a ban, but new legislation may also be required, The Guardian said. The UK is one of a number of countries following Australia’s lead by considering bans on social media use by children. The UK already passed an age verification law that was similarly touted as protecting the safety of children online.

These bans come amidst growing discussion around the effect of social media usage on teens and children. For example, the mother of murdered teen Brianna Ghey has called for a teen social media ban in the UK and said her daughter’s eating disorder and self-harming behavior were “significantly exacerbated by the harmful content she was consuming online.” At the same time, these bans have been criticized for potentially violating user privacy and isolating children, while offering unproven benefits to their mental health.