SIR Keir Starmer has announced a social media ban for under-16s in a move that “cannot come soon enough” – but experts warn “the problem is how you enforce it” while it could be “digital ID by the back door, dressed up as child safety”.
The government plans to use the same model for a social media ban as Australia – including platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.
In a move to protect children online and address the scale of the challenge, the government will also go further than a blanket ban on social media with world-leading blocks on harmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s.
These restrictions – which together with the ban go further than any other country – will apply to a wider range of online services, including on gaming sites.
Restrictions on these functionalities will also be on by default for 17-year-olds to prevent a cliff-edge at 16. The government will also be looking in more detail at overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18-year-olds and will set out more detail in July.
Today’s announcement follows a survey of 116,000 parents, children and experts across the country. The responses showed overwhelming public backing for tougher action. 9 in 10 parents said they would support a social media ban for children under 16.
The first set of regulations could be in effect by Spring 2027.
The ban cannot come soon enough
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Parents want to keep their kids safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever.
“I’ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them.
“That’s why 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.
“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.”
AI ‘romantic companion’ chatbots – designed to simulate sexual relationships or roleplay with users – will have to enforce a minimum age of 18. Similar intimate functionalities will be restricted for under-18s on AI chatbots more widely.
Dr Marianne Trent, Clinical Psychologist at Good Thinking Psychology, said the move is desperately needed.
She added: “As a psychologist and mother of a 13- and 10-year-old I couldn’t be more thrilled about this news. I think this will help caregivers to make safer and healthier choices with and for their children whereas currently peer pressure has made this more challenging.
“Social media is an unregulated space consisting mainly of user-generated content, and this combined with algorithms looking to keep all of us on platforms for longer, means it’s an unsafe space for any mind let alone a developing one.
“I am keen to learn how and when this will come into force, my only current concern being that given many parents have already allowed even primary school age kids to be on apps like TikTok I do wonder how this will be enforced.”
The problem is how you enforce it
Colette Mason, AI Ethics Consultant at Clever Clogs AI, asked how you can enforce the ban.
She added: “This is long overdue. Social media is damaging children, and arguably adults too. The nation’s mental health is woeful with millions of people addicted to platforms engineered to keep them doom-scrolling the rage-bait just to feed them ads. Banning under-16s is welcome, but let’s not pretend the harm stops at 16.
“The problem is how you enforce it. Every adult now has to upload government ID to third-party verification providers that leak like a sieve. TechRadar reported 70,000 government ID photos were already leaked in the UK when Discord’s verification provider was hacked. That’s the system we’re trusting with the nation’s identity documents. VPNs also get caught in the crossfire too.
“They protect journalists, and ordinary citizens every day, who aren’t using them for nefarious purposes. They’re not criminal tools. They’re essential for anyone using public wifi. This is digital ID by the back door, dressed up as child safety. It is not the answer. Robust parental education is.”
Lee Chambers, CEO at Male Allies UK, said more needs to be done.
He added: “It’s a start. The fact that it expands beyond social media is positive. But the work is far from done. Many young people use social media for belonging and connection, and while this will block some of the algorithmic violence they face, we need to consider what will fill the space.
“We know from our work that offline spaces are often not there and there’s a rise in the use of AI companion and girlfriends apps. The most important thing as this ban comes in is to remember: we need to make these products safe by design for everyone.”
Starmer’s right to pick this fight
Arabella Harvey, Owner at Raven Botanicals, said there is a crisis in youth mental health.
She added: “This news could not be more welcome. We are seeing clear evidence of the toxic impact social media has on children and young people, affecting everything from concentration, creativity, sociability and self esteem to mental health and wellbeing.
“Children are being exposed to inappropriate content, negative influences and harmful ideologies long before they have the maturity to process them critically. The crisis in youth mental health and disengagement speaks for itself. Childhood is precious and fleeting. We should be doing everything we can to protect it and allow our children the freedom to develop without the pressures and risks of social media.”
Ben Perks, Managing Director at Orchard Financial Advisers, said he is concerned it will take nearly a year to come in officially.
He added: “As a parent of under 16s I did breathe a sigh of relief. Social media can be as addictive and destructive as alcohol, so it should be regulated in a similar way. It is an absolute minefield for parents to navigate, so this ruling will provide clarity.
“The biggest issue now is that we have to wait until Spring 2027 for this to kick in, so there will be a lot of rows between parents and teens over the coming months. The VPN providers will be rubbing their hands this morning.”
The work is far from done
Paul Denley, CEO at Oakham Wealth Management, said social media companies need to take account of the damage they do.
He added: “This cannot come soon enough. Social media isn’t a neutral communication tool, its business model depends on maximising engagement. Children are being targeted by algorithms backed by billions of pounds and vast computing power. If many adults struggle to resist, expecting children to is unrealistic.
“The incentives reward outrage and division because attention drives advertising revenue. Many young people don’t even enjoy social media but feel trapped by peer pressure – a universal ban removes that pressure in a way individual parenting cannot. Imperfect enforcement isn’t an argument against sensible safeguards.
“These companies have built enormously profitable businesses while accepting remarkably little responsibility for the content their algorithms promote. With the resources and engineering talent at their disposal, that has always been a choice, not a constraint. The ban is a start. Accountability is the destination.”
Samuel Mather-Holgate, Managing Director & IFA at Mather and Murray Financial, said children should come first.
He added: “Starmer’s right to pick this fight. For too long, parents have been left worried, while Silicon Valley floods children’s bedrooms with addictive algorithms, endless scrolling and strangers at midnight. Will a ban work perfectly? No law does. Teenagers will test it and the platforms will plead technical difficulty.
“But that is not a reason to do nothing – it is a reason to make enforcement sharp, expensive and unavoidable. This is a proper dividing line. Children first, tech giants second. At a moment when his leadership is being questioned, Starmer looks strongest when he stops sounding managerial and starts sounding like a prime minister willing to take on powerful interests.”
Photo by Issy Bailey on Unsplash.
