The government wants to ban under-16s from social media — but it still hasn't said what that means for Roblox, YouTube Kids or even a child typing a search into Google without an account.
Ministers named just six platforms when they announced the crackdown on Monday: Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. They said restrictions would closely follow Australia's, where those apps plus Kick, Reddit, Threads and Twitch are already blocked for under-16s.
“Government's under-16s social media ban leaves unanswered questions on Roblox, YouTube Kids and enforcement.”
But Roblox, hugely popular with British children and accused of failing to keep them safe, was not on the list. The gaming site has said it is making changes to protect child users, including expanding tools to estimate a user's age and limit access to certain games. "It is not yet clear how they will treat gaming sites," said Lorna Woods, professor of internet law at Essex University. "Though if they follow the Australian approach, these will lie outside the Australian ban."
Even if Roblox escapes the ban, it will still have to comply with a separate rule announced alongside it: all platforms must disable features that let strangers communicate with children. The government specifically said that requirement applies to gaming services. Children will still be able to play multiplayer online games, it added.
Then there is YouTube. The video platform is included in the ban, but YouTube Kids is not. That raises the question of how the government will stop children accessing the main site through search without an account — and how educational content might be carved out. YouTube called the platform a "vital resource for young people" and warned that a ban risked pushing children towards "anonymous, less safe services". Citing research with consultancy Livity, Google said 95% of UK teens surveyed said watching videos helps with school work.
Ministers have promised to provide an update in July on further restrictions, including potential curfews and curbs on "addictive" features such as infinite scroll and AI chatbots. But for now, many questions remain unanswered — including how the ban will be enforced without cracking down on virtual private networks (VPNs) that disguise a user's location.