Britain announces sweeping social media ban for under-16s

LONDON – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on June 15 that he would ban social media sites for the under-16s and impose restrictions on gaming and live-streaming platforms, in a fight back against Big Tech that goes further than any other country.

The sweeping changes will “give kids their childhood back”, Starmer said, outlining measures against platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram, as well as gaming sites that allow strangers to communicate with children.

“It is clear to me a full ban is the right choice,” he told a press conference. “This will change the conversations that parents have and the expectations of children over time. It will make a huge difference, it will make our children safer, it will make our children happier, it will give them more time, more security, more freedom to grow up, more opportunity.”

However some experts doubted whether a blanket ban would be effective, and Starmer acknowledged it would be difficult to fully enforce such restrictions.

Britain will go further than Australia – the first country to ban social media for children – with controls on gaming platforms and the possibility of overnight curfews and curbs on infinite scrolling for under-18s.

It will cover platforms that also include YouTube, Facebook and X, but messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal will not be included in the ban.

Britain will also introduce “world-leading blocks” on harmful functions such as live streaming and strangers’ communication with children for under-16s.

“Is there a situation in the offline world where you would just let your child pair up with a stranger, an adult that you don’t know anything about? No, so we’re taking action on that,” Starmer said.

While parents and politicians back a ban, some psychologists and researchers have said there is no proof that it would work, and a group of schoolchildren in London told Reuters they had a conflicted relationship with the technology.

Social media companies have already put in place child safety measures, such as changing algorithms, in response to tightening regulations, including by Britain.

They said on June 15 that a blanket ban risked pushing young people onto riskier platforms that did not offer the protections they had introduced.

YouTube said it had invested in “expert-led, age-appropriate experiences and default protections for teens for over a decade”.

“YouTube is a vital resource for young people, educators and parents,” a spokesperson said on June 15.

Snapchat said an outright ban would disconnect teens from private messaging between friends and family that accounted for the majority of time spent on its service, adding that the scope of the ban should be reviewed.

And Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, said the experience in Australia suggested that bans risked isolating teens from online communities, driving them to unregulated alternatives that lacked protections and parental controls.

Ban in place by next spring?

A ban could be in place around the spring of 2027, Starmer said, underpinned by existing powers and new regulations due by the end of 2026.

Britain has increasingly toughened its approach to tech companies in recent years, urging or forcing them to impose age verification, adapt their algorithms and, most recently, prevent children from circulating nude images taken on mobile phones.

The ban will likely require age checks to be expanded to all users, something regulator Ofcom has already introduced for porn sites. Ofcom said it was ready to work on that.

Some experts sounded a sceptical note about the proposals.

Research professor Amy Orben from the University of Cambridge said enforcement in Australia was still incomplete and the majority of young people were still online at similar rates.

“However, a ban is likely to change public perceptions, and make social media use less acceptable in younger age groups,” she added.

Starmer, facing a likely leadership challenge in the coming weeks, acknowledged that children would get around the restrictions but said a ban – which could be his main legacy – would bring long-term change to the culture around social media.

“Laws are rules, but they’re also an expression of our values,” he said.

A raft of countries have also said they are looking to regulate access to social media amid mounting concerns over the impact on children’s health and safety. REUTERS