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Government proposes social media ban for under-16s
Government says measures are needed to tackle impact of social media on young people's wellbeing, and limit exposure to harmful content and addictive features
Nine in ten parents supported a social media ban for under-16s, while two-thirds of young people agreed that under-16s should not be allowed to use some platforms
Children across the UK could be barred from accessing major social media platforms from spring 2027 under government plans designed to strengthen online protections.
Announced in June, the proposals would prevent under-16s from using platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal are not likely to be included in the ban.
The government says the measures are needed to tackle growing concerns about the impact of social media on young people's wellbeing, exposure to harmful content and online safety. Alongside the ban, ministers are proposing restrictions on features including livestreaming and stranger communication for under-16s, with protections also applying by default to 16 and 17-year-olds.
The government is modelling the approach on Australia's social media ban but says it will go further by targeting specific platform functions and introducing enhanced age assurance measures designed to make it harder for children to bypass restrictions.
The announcement follows a public consultation that attracted more than 116,000 responses. According to the government, nine in ten parents supported a social media ban for under-16s, while two-thirds of young people agreed that children younger than 16 should not be allowed to use at least some social media platforms.
Liz Kendall, Technology Secretary said, “Tech companies have had countless opportunities to keep children safe, yet they have failed to act. That is why we are a taking power away from the tech giants and putting it back in parents' hands.”
While the proposals have been welcomed by many parents and child safety campaigners, experts caution that the effectiveness of a ban will depend on implementation, enforcement and how young people adapt.
Dr Amrit Kaur Purba, Assistant Professor, Wellcome Fellow and Academic Lead of the Digital Determinants of Health Hub at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said, “There is a strong public health rationale for taking action to protect children online.
“We know that many young people are exposed to harmful content online, and growing evidence suggests that digital environments can influence a wide range of health, behavioural and developmental outcomes."
However, she warned against viewing restrictions as a standalone solution. “From a public health perspective, social media restrictions should be understood as complex systems interventions." She added that young people could migrate to alternative platforms, gaming environments, encrypted services or AI-based tools.
Dr Purba also stressed that success should be measured by broader outcomes than screen time alone: “The key question is not simply whether social media use falls, but whether children's lives become healthier, safer and more equitable as a result.”
“The problem is not that children exist on social media; it's that social media companies have built platforms that are unsafe by design.”
Civil liberties groups have also raised concerns. Kerry Moscogiuri, Chief Executive of Amnesty International UK, said: “This is a case of the right diagnosis but the wrong prescription.”
She argued: “The problem is not that children exist on social media; it's that social media companies have built platforms that are unsafe by design.”
Professor Elvira Perez Vallejos, Professor of Digital Technology for Mental Health, University of Nottingham, echoed these thoughts, adding that the UK should have paused to evaluate Australia’s ban, which was introduced in December 2025: “Emerging data from Australia’s first six months already shows severe systemic failures, proving that a rushed policy risks creating a false sense of security for parents while leaving the actual online environment unreformed”.
She added that evidence suggests that outright bans have very limited efficacy and high rates of circumvention. “If the tech itself isn’t fundamentally re-engineered to be safer, children will simply find more dangerous avenues to access it (e.g., dark web).”
The government insists the proposals are only a first step and says further measures, including possible overnight curfews and interventions to interrupt infinite scrolling for under-18s, will be explored ahead of detailed plans expected in July.
