{"id":30881,"date":"2026-06-16T04:16:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T08:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=30881"},"modified":"2026-06-16T04:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T08:16:20","slug":"under-16s-in-uk-will-be-banned-from-social-media-from-early-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2026\/06\/16\/under-16s-in-uk-will-be-banned-from-social-media-from-early-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"Under-16s in UK will be banned from social media from early 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">Millions of children in the UK will be forced off social media after the government announced it would ban under-16s from accessing a range of platforms.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Apps including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram will become inaccessible for children, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;We hope to pass regulation before Christmas,&#8221; he said, with the ban coming into force in spring 2027.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Tech companies including Meta, Snapchat and YouTube warned a blanket ban would move children into more unsafe online environments<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen, and why this ban will happen,&#8221; Sir Keir said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The government is yet to release the full list of platforms affected, but said YouTube, Facebook and X would also be included.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The government said over-16s may have to verify their ages to continue using social media platforms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But it said many adults would not need to do checks because their accounts are already over 16 years old, had a credit card linked or their email address was already verified in other ways.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Messaging apps such as WhatsApp, and Signal will not be banned, and neither will online gaming platform Roblox.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But certain features will be restricted for under-16s, such as livestreaming\u202fand strangers being\u202fable to contact children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">YouTube Kids is also exempt from the ban.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The government will also look at restrictions on some functionalities on social media, such as infinite scroll and curfews, for 16 and 17-year-olds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Intimate and sexual chats with AI will also be banned for under-18s.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"links\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<ul class=\"ssrcss-94r6ik-Stack e1y4nx260\" role=\"list\">\n<li class=\"ssrcss-qzx51b-LinkItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-7zrqh4-LinkHeadline e3eyuya4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/ceqdny4l3jdo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">When will social media ban start, and which platforms are affected?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-qzx51b-LinkItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-7zrqh4-LinkHeadline e3eyuya4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cddl65dp0rdo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Social media ban &#8211; bold and blunt, but no silver bullet<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The ban follows growing pressure from campaigners to make the online world safer for young people, and is part of an international trend of governments restricting who can access social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;This social media ban won&#8217;t solve every problem overnight, but it is a major step forward,&#8221; said Joe Ryrie, co-founder of the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Millions of children will now get a few more years to grow up before entering online environments that were never designed with their wellbeing in mind.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Snapchat said it shared the objective of online safety, but disagreed with a full ban.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Meta said a ban risked &#8220;isolating teens from online communities and information, and driving them to unregulated alternatives&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">YouTube said it has many protections in place for teens, and called itself &#8220;a vital resource for young people, educators and parents&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less safe services,&#8221; its statement said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">TikTok said: &#8220;We will examine the details of the government&#8217;s measures, and we look forward to collaborating constructively with the government on this important issue.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The BBC has contacted X for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Speaking in the House of Commons, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the measures would &#8220;take power away from the tech giants, who have had countless opportunities to keep children safe&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">She said she was clear that there was still much more to do for adults as well as children on social media, and that &#8220;today&#8217;s announcement is not &#8216;one and done&#8217; or the end of the story&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The ban was generally welcomed by a group of bereaved parents who say their children died as a result of a variety of harms on social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;I&#8217;m so glad now that this announcement has been made&#8221;, Esther Ghey told BBC Breakfast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Her daughter Brianna was killed by two teenagers in 2023. One of the killers said she had become interested in &#8220;dark materials&#8221; online, including videos of murder and torture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Ghey said the ban can &#8220;potentially save so many children&#8217;s lives&#8221;, but added there needed to be support in place for children who will not be able to access social media.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Rocio Cifuentes, the children&#8217;s commissioner for Wales, said a ban &#8220;was too simplistic a framing&#8221; &#8211; and that the accountability should have been on the platforms to make them safe for children to use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Nicola Killean, the equivalent in Scotland,\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-1e0jzsh-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cvgj168m546o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said the ban<\/a>\u00a0was not a &#8220;proportionate, effective, or enforceable way to protect children&#8217;s rights&#8221;, while Chris Quinn &#8211; Northern Ireland&#8217;s commissioner &#8211; said the ban &#8220;risks letting technology companies off the hook&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">England&#8217;s children&#8217;s commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, meanwhile, called it &#8220;positive&#8221; &#8211; and said the ban should be extended to all children, including those up to the age of 18.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The government said it will use\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-1e0jzsh-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cwyp9d3ddqyo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Australia&#8217;s definition of social media companies<\/a>\u00a0when deciding what to ban.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Australia banned social media for under-16s in December &#8211; though some research suggests children were able to get round the restrictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In April, a survey from the Molly Rose Foundation said 61% of 12-15 year-olds who had accounts on restricted platforms before the ban still had access to one or more accounts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The online safety charity is against a ban, instead saying existing online safety laws\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-1e0jzsh-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cwykw759v3po\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">should be more strictly enforced<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But Kendall said the ban was &#8220;as much about helping future generations and resetting social norms in future as it is about young people today&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The ban follows a three-month consultation on how to make children&#8217;s use of digital technology safer, which closed last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It received more than 116,000 responses to the survey. Some 90% of parents who responded backed a social media ban for under-16s, with more than 83% saying the benefits of social media were outweighed by the risks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The ban has watched by youth advocates and lawyers in the US, where most social media firms are based.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mark Lanier &#8211; who successfully litigated a\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-1e0jzsh-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c86e3eglv2go\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">landmark trial<\/a>\u00a0against Meta and YouTube earlier this year that found the tech giants liable for designing their platforms to be addictive &#8211; said &#8220;we know we can&#8217;t trust the companies to self-police effectively&#8221;, adding that the UK ban was &#8220;a step in the right direction&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The Trump administration has not reacted to the announcement, but earlier this month, the US State Department said it welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the UK&#8217;s consultation and called protecting children online &#8220;a top priority.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Instead of outright bans, the administration favours encouraging what it calls &#8220;healthy options&#8221; such as incentivising platforms to offer chronological feeds over algorithmic ones, and time limits on usage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;We have concerns about regulations that impose disproportionate compliance burdens\u202fon American companies or that apply to one platform but not similar services,&#8221; the US Mission to the UK said in a statement dated 5 June.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"links\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<ul class=\"ssrcss-94r6ik-Stack e1y4nx260\" role=\"list\">\n<li class=\"ssrcss-qzx51b-LinkItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-7zrqh4-LinkHeadline e3eyuya4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cwyp9d3ddqyo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Australia has banned social media for kids under 16. How does it work?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-qzx51b-LinkItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-7zrqh4-LinkHeadline e3eyuya4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/ceq7ye3q2zwo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">How does age verification for porn work and what about privacy?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-qzx51b-LinkItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1gccci3-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-7zrqh4-LinkHeadline e3eyuya4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c0epennv98lo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">What the Online Safety Act is &#8211; and how to keep children safe online<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\" data-block=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-126h8e-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-testid=\"image\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-hc6arm-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-z9j9ww-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/41d3\/live\/348b21e0-26a8-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c2kydl0zqeko\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">Millions of children in the UK will be forced off social media after the government announced it would ban under-16s from accessing a range of platforms. Apps including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram will become inaccessible <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2026\/06\/16\/under-16s-in-uk-will-be-banned-from-social-media-from-early-2027\/\" title=\"Under-16s in UK will be banned from social media from early 2027\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,2,4],"tags":[11409,12602,11359,1029,1028,335,3190,8355,11522,10465,6111,7265,1312,7627,9645,12185,6897,9954,3154,12601],"class_list":["post-30881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-human-rights","category-news","category-uk","tag-age-checking","tag-age-curfew","tag-age-verification","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-facebook","tag-instagram","tag-meta","tag-online-safety","tag-online-safety-act","tag-reddit","tag-snapchat","tag-social-media","tag-tiktok","tag-twitch","tag-uk-online-safety-law","tag-us-state-department","tag-x","tag-youtube","tag-youtube-kids","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30881"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30881\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30883,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30881\/revisions\/30883"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}