UK announces ban on social media access for children under 16

UK is latest country to set minimum age for social media access but big tech is fighting back globally against curbsSocial media bans go global: big tech faces a reckoning after Australia’s crackdownArturo Béjar, a former employee turned whistleblower at Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, has talked to parents around the world. He says they share the same perspective: they dread the day their children are old enough to go online.Governments appear to be listening too. This month the UK became the latest country to state that it would set a minimum age of 16 for accessing major social media platforms. Social media bans are becoming a legislative trend after the precedent set by Australia last year, when it imposed an age limit on platforms including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, Google’s YouTube, Elon Musk’s X, TikTok and Snapchat. Continue reading...

Big tech companies design their products to maximize user attention, often without regard to whether the content is beneficial, especially for children. Beeban Kidron, author of 'Users,' joins Bloomberg This Weekend to discuss with hosts David Gura and Christina Ruffini the need for government intervention to regulate product design, parental responsibility in managing usage, and consumer awareness to make informed choices in the attention economy. (Source: Bloomberg)

Age verification means that the sector’s biggest players will now have access to information that will only make them richer and more powerfulThis week, the UK announced a wide-ranging ban on social media that will soon block users from communicating or accessing information on apps such as X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat unless they prove that they’re over the age of 16.The prime minister, Keir Starmer, called the policy “a line in the sand”. “Tech giants had their chance and failed,” he said, “but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations.” All internet users, especially children, should be protected from exploitative systems online, but this new law will only foster more harm and help the largest and most powerful tech companies consolidate power and influence over everyone’s lives.Taylor Lorenz is a technology journalist who writes the newsletter User Mag and is the author of the bestselling book Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet Continue reading...

The British government has said it is following the Australian model for its own scheme (Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images) The under-16s social media ban that inspired countries across the globe – including the UK – to bring in similar measures has made little difference, an expert has claimed. Australia blocked children and young teenagers from accessing 10 top social media sites in December last year. The world-first move was intended to allow ‘children to have their childhood’ and ‘parents to have peace of mind’, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. It didn’t take long for figures in the UK to start agitating for something similar, and in March the government launched a consultation into the idea. Then, on Monday morning, Sir Keir Starmer announced his response: a ban would be introduced as soon as next spring, along with a raft of other measures targeted at keeping children safe online. But Prof Kathy Modecki, an academic at the University of Western Australia who is leading a large-scale study into the impact of the Australian ban, said the original scheme has long since lost its effectiveness. Everything is changing, all the time Cut through political noise and understand how the Westminster chaos actually affects your life with Metro's politics newsletter Alright, Gov? Sign up here. She told Metro: ‘I hear from young people that the first two weeks was a bit of a puzzle – what’s going to happen, what’s this going to look like? ‘And then after two weeks, it was sort of like it never occurred.’ Dodging age verification measures ‘started as a game and now it’s not even a game’, she said, with kids using cat filters and drawing crude moustaches on their face to fool facial scans. Professor Kathy Modecki has been asking Australian children and adults what they think of the ban (Picture: University of Western Australia) The UK government has said it will ask Ofcom to investigate highly effective age assurance (HEAA) systems to ensure its scheme does not meet the same fate. Speaking to Metro on Monday, Online Safety Minister Kanishka Nurayan said: ‘If you get new technology to check ages better, we will include those.’ Until that point companies can use a variety of methods to verify ages, he said – such as facial recognition, checking official ID, and looking at how long a user’s account has existed. Prof Modecki, who has researched children’s phone use for 15 years, said trying to stay ahead of technology in this space can be ‘whack-a-mole’. More broadly, she questions the effectiveness of any all-out ban compared to forcing social media companies to act on removing inappropriate content from their platforms. She said: ‘I’m hoping that the conversation is going to turn from looking at kids and their parents as mediators of this risk. ‘The companies themselves, who are serving up the risks, somehow are allowed to say, “We’ve done what we can. Oh, and we’re also going to be the ones to determine it’s safe.” ‘There’s no other area of our life where we would allow that.’ Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life after seeing harmful images online, has also said regulations should be tightened up instead of a full ban being introduced. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page Prof Modecki argues that a ban shouldn’t be brought in just because social media companies have not been proactive enough in taking down harmful content from their sites – as the ban itself is not without risks. She said: ‘Some young people do find social support, confirmation of identity, and health information, and they tend to be those who have less resources physically at home. So are they going to be sort of cut off from those spaces.’ Narayan said the government had concluded that the ‘overall sum of the downside was radically outweighing the opportunities’ of social media. He said: ‘Of course there are some opportunities and benefits that social media has brought for young people and I’ve heard them across the country over the course of the last few months as well. ‘But the biggest thing I’ve heard is that young people and their families don’t feel they have control in whether they’re getting just the benefits and opportunities and not all the downsides and the risks.’ The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was contacted for comment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Prime Minister Keir Starmer declares a 'line in the sand' as Britain moves to bar children from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and more, with legislation due before Christmas. Britain has announced one of the most sweeping bans on children's social media access anywhere in the world, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer declaring that the government will bar under-16s from a wide range of platforms. Starmer also said that it will hold tech companies, not parents or children, responsible for enforcing it."We're going further than any country in the world by banning social media for under-16s and putting wider protections in place to give kids their childhood back," Starmer said at a Downing Street press conference on June 15. He also posted the announcement on X, using the platform itself to signal a crackdown that would affect it directly."This is a line in the sand. 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 Prime Minister added.I am simply not prepared to be a bystander when the safety and happiness of our children are at stake.We will ban social media access for under 16s, and give children their childhoods back. Read more about it here: https://t.co/oqX7ufHB4R pic.twitter.com/3ZxmVFG0OY— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 15, 2026 What is banned?The restrictions will apply to "user-to-user platforms whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms," according to a government statement.Platforms confirmed to fall under the ban include:- TikTok- Instagram- Facebook- YouTube- Snapchat- XBeyond a blanket access ban, the UK government says it will go further than Australia, whose own under-16 ban came into force in December 2025, by introducing what it describes as 'world-leading blocks on harmful functions.' These include restrictions on livestreaming and stranger communication with children, which will apply not just to social media platforms but also to other online services, including gaming sites.More than 83 percent of parents who responded to a government consultation said the risks of social media outweigh the benefits for children, and 90 percent expressed support for a minimum age of 16, according to official figure.What is not banned?The government has made clear that not all online communication tools will be affected. Messaging services, including WhatsApp and Signal, are not covered by the ban. YouTube Kids, the dedicated children's version of the platform, is also excluded.The distinction reflects the government's stated aim of targeting algorithmically driven, open social platforms rather than direct messaging or curated children's services.Tech companies Face the Burden — and the PenaltiesUnder the proposed framework, the onus falls squarely on technology companies to prevent under-16s from accessing their platforms. Starmer said he would fight back if companies resist compliance.The legislation follows a model similar to Australia's, where platforms face significant financial penalties for failing to take reasonable steps to enforce the age limit. The UK government has not yet published specific fine amounts, but said legislation would be brought before Parliament before Christmas, with protections expected to come into force in spring 2027.TikTok responded to the announcement by saying it shared "the government's goal of safe online experiences for teens," pointing to its existing safety settings for younger users.The UK's announcement places it within a rapidly expanding group of governments moving to restrict children's social media use. Australia was the first country to implement an outright ban, in December 2025. Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have since introduced their own legislation or age-based access requirements. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among the countries studying or developing similar measures.

LONDON – Children under 16 will be banned from using social media in the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday, saying such platforms were making youngsters “unhappy”. Some children’s charities welcomed the sweeping change, which is likely to trigger a major fight with US tech giants, but others warned it could make teenagers less safe online. Starmer, likely to face a leadership challenge in the coming weeks, said social media sites were exposing children to content that is “dangerous” and “designed to be addictive”. The ban will “include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X” but not messaging […]...Keep on reading: UK PM announces ban on social media for under-16s