UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer targets online gaming in under-16 social media ban

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced the UK Government's plans to ban social media sites for under-16s. After weeks of speculation and comments from fellow cabinet members, the ban is confirmed to also take aim at gaming, with plans to restrict the ability to speak to strangers online or broadcast themselves on a livestream.

The ban, announced on Monday, June 15, will see access to social media apps such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X restricted for anyone under the age of 16, with certain rules set to apply to 17-year-olds to avoid what the government describes as a "cliffedge."

The legislation also includes what Starmer called "world-leading action" on online gaming, with the government aiming to block functions like in-game text chat or voice channels that would allow under-16s to communicate with strangers while playing games like Fortnite, Roblox, and more. In his speech from Downing Street, the British Prime Minister said: "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."

This idea was first broached by Online Safety Minister Kanisha Narayan, and backed by England's Children's Commissioner Rachel de Souza, who said that "boys often aren't on social media. They're often spending three or four hours a day gaming, and those games often have features that allow a 55-year-old in Arizona to come in and speak to a nine-year-old."

Starmer also said that livestreaming services would be targeted in the new law, restricting under-16s' access to broadcasting their gameplay to strangers. It's currently unclear how these bans will work, and while the government can introduce these laws, it's game developers who will have to implement them in their products.

The government has admitted that these changes will be "hard to regulate [and] hard to enforce." It says that "highly effective age assurance" measures, which can include the use of face scans or asking for ID, will be used to identify users' age, and has tasked UK regulator Ofcom with carrying out a study into the best ways of verifying ages.

Starmer says that the changes will protect children while pushing back against technology companies, saying it was "clear that a full ban is the right choice." The government claims this legislation will make children "safer [and] happier."

Starmer says the government plans to pass regulations before the end of 2026, with the laws coming into effect in early 2027.