UK to ban social media for under-16s: declares platforms ‘making children unhappy’

In a sweeping move that marks one of the most radical regulatory interventions in the digital age, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday a forthcoming total ban on social media for children under the age of 16.

Speaking on the psychological toll of digital platforms, Starmer declared that tech giants are actively “making children unhappy” and exposing them to systemic harm.

The proposed legislation will legally bar under-16s from accessing major platforms. The government confirmed the ban will target dominant apps like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. Messaging-focused services, such as WhatsApp, will be excluded from the blanket ban.

“We will ban access to social media for all children under the age of 16,” Starmer said, warning that tech platforms are “exposing them to content that is dangerous” and purposefully “designed to be addictive.”

The Prime Minister outlined an aggressive timeline for the policy, aiming to pass the regulation by late December 2026, with the historic ban coming into full force by Spring 2027.

The crackdown will not stop at social media. Starmer revealed that the government plans to take “world-leading action on gaming services and live streaming platforms,” explicitly targeting spaces where online predators can easily interact with minors.

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“Is there a situation in the offline world where you would just let your child pair up with a stranger? An adult that you don’t know about? No. So we’re taking action on that,” Starmer said, though he stopped short of providing specific operational details.

Furthermore, Downing Street released a statement indicating that the government is actively considering mandatory overnight curfews for under-18s and legally enforced breaks to stop “infinite scrolling” features. A comprehensive policy framework detailing these measures is slated for release in July.

The UK’s decisive move follows an overwhelming government-led consultation that closed in late May, drawing roughly 116,000 contributions—making it the second-largest public response in British political history. The data revealed deep parental anxiety: over 83 percent of responding parents stated that the risks of social media heavily outweighed the benefits, while 91 percent actively backed a minimum age limit of 16. The consultation also involved trial bans and app time limits tested by British teenagers themselves.

Starmer acknowledged that the UK’s strategy was heavily influenced by Australia, which became the first nation to pass a law banning under-16s from social media.

Just last week, Canada’s Culture Minister introduced the Digital Safety Act, which bans social media for under-16s and forces AI chatbot services to restrict harmful content generation.