British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing to announce a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16, according to reports from the Guardian and the Financial Times, marking one of the most significant moves by a major Western government to restrict young people’s access to social platforms.
Starmer is expected to unveil the policy in a speech on Monday. Government sources told the Guardian that the UK ban will cover a similar range of platforms to Australia’s existing restrictions, which include TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X, Threads, Snapchat, Twitch, and Kick. Australia introduced its own under-16 social media ban in late 2024 and the UK’s policy is being described as closely modelled on it.
The scope of the UK proposal extends beyond social media platforms. Gaming apps would not be banned outright for younger users, but would be required to remove features such as the ability to chat with strangers. The policy would also prohibit users under 18 from accessing romantic and sexual chatbots and seek to prevent late-night scrolling behaviour across platforms. The government has indicated it can use existing regulatory powers to enforce some aspects of the ban, though new legislation may also be required.
The announcement arrives amid sustained public pressure in the UK around the impact of social media on children’s mental health and safety. The mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey has been among the most prominent voices calling for a ban, saying her daughter’s eating disorder and self-harming behaviour were significantly worsened by harmful content she encountered online.
The policy is not without critics. Researchers have questioned whether blanket bans produce meaningful benefits to young people’s mental health, with some scientists arguing the evidence base for such measures remains weak and that bans carry risks of their own, including isolating children from peer networks and raising serious concerns around user privacy. Age verification mechanisms, which a number of US states have adopted as an alternative to outright bans, have also drawn criticism and been shown to be susceptible to workarounds.
The UK already passed an age-verification law touted as a child safety measure, and the new social media ban would represent a significant escalation of that approach. The country joins a growing list of governments examining or implementing restrictions on children’s social media access, as the global debate over how to protect young people online continues to intensify.
