Children under 16 in the UK will be banned from using platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X from early 2027, the government has announced — a move the prime minister described as a “line in the sand” for tech companies that had failed to keep children safe.
The ban, which will also cover “user-to-user platforms” enabling social interaction and posting of material, is expected to come into force next spring. Sir Keir Starmer said the government plans to pass regulations before Christmas, allowing enforcement by spring 2027. It follows a public consultation that received more than 116,000 responses.
“UK bans under-16s from TikTok, Snapchat and other platforms from spring 2027.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that tech companies had had “more than enough time to get their house in order” and that if they were not prepared to ensure products were safe, they “lose the right to market their products towards children”. She acknowledged that a similar ban in Australia had shown some young people would find ways to avoid restrictions, but argued it changed the presumption of using social media at a young age.
The government is also considering overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18s, with more detail expected in July. AI “romantic companion” chatbots will have to enforce a minimum age of 18, and AI chatbots more widely will have to restrict “intimate functionalities” for under-18s.
But the announcement has drawn criticism from some campaigners. Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life after viewing harmful content online, said he was “dismayed” and suggested the policy had been “rushed” forward for “a political reason” by Starmer. “If he’s playing politics, what he’s doing is gambling with young people’s lives — and I find that deplorable,” he told the BBC.
Parents were divided. Shona, a 46-year-old former teacher from Leeds, said she felt “relief” that the social norm was shifting. “We have worked so hard as a family to try to protect them from the online world… It is such a relief that the harms these digital products do to our children are being dragged out into the light.”
But Jake, a 49-year-old from Hertfordshire who works in the music business, said his stepdaughters were “horrified”. “The genie is out of the bottle. We can’t just snuff it out,” he said, adding that his stepdaughter told him she would “just do what they’ve done in Australia – find a VPN”.
The urgency of the problem was underscored by research from the charity Cybersmile, whose CEO Scott Freeman told Metro that researchers posing as 15-year-olds on Instagram and TikTok encountered racism, misogyny, and violence within minutes. “We also saw a lynching being depicted, as well as graphic descriptions of violence, antisemitic and anti-Muslim hate,” Freeman said. After three days of scrolling, harmful posts made up 18% of the children’s feeds.
The regulator Ofcom has been asked to carry out a rapid study to identify the best ways to verify if someone is over 16, with “highly effective age assurance” measures — such as face scans or ID checks — to be used. Messaging services including WhatsApp and Signal will not be included, nor will YouTube Kids.
Nandy said the government could not stand aside. “Tech companies have had more than enough time to get their own house in order,” she said. “If they are not prepared to do it, they lose the right frankly to market their products towards children.”