UK is banning social media for children under 16

The UK has become the latest country to announce a social media ban for children under the age of 16.

Last week it was Canada, six months earlier it was Australia, and on Monday the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology confirmed that social media companies will soon be blocked from allowing under-16s to use their services.

Platforms on the ban list include TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. The government is also planning to block livestreaming and "stranger communications" for under 16s. Messaging services like WhatsApp will not be included in the ban.

"This is a line in the sand," UK prime minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. "Tech giants had their chance and failed, but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations."

The government is planning to use the same age assurance criteria that it introduced in 2025 with its age verification law on pornography. This means that social media platforms will be required to use things like "open banking, photo ID matching, facial age estimation, mobile network operator age checks, credit card checks, digital identity services and email-based age estimation" to ensure a user meets the required age. The government is saying their plan has the backing of 9 in 10 parents, but its worth noting that online age verification is a complicated topic that draws its own criticisms.

As for when this ban will come into effect, according to the announcement the first set of regulations could come into effect in spring 2027.