The UK government’s announcement on Monday that it will ban under-16s from social media has jolted tech giants into action, with Roblox revealing new child safety measures even as ministers failed to clarify whether the game will be covered by the restrictions.
The government named six platforms: Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. It said the ban would closely follow Australia’s, where Kick, Reddit, Threads and Twitch are also forbidden for under-16s. But Roblox, hugely popular with British children and long accused of failing to keep them safe, was conspicuously absent from the list.
“UK bans under-16s from six social media platforms, leaving Roblox and YouTube's status unclear.”
“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.”
Regardless of whether Roblox ends up banned, the government made clear that a separate requirement – that all platforms disable features enabling strangers to communicate with children – will apply to gaming services. Children will still be able to play multiplayer online games, it added.
Roblox said it has already expanded tools to estimate a user’s age and determine what games and experiences they can access, a move announced just as the ban threat emerged.
YouTube’s inclusion in the ban raises further questions. YouTube Kids is exempt, but it is not clear how children accessing YouTube without an account will be prevented from viewing adult content. The company called the platform a “vital resource for young people” and warned the ban risked pushing children towards “anonymous, less safe services”. Citing research in partnership with consultancy Livity, Google said 95% of UK teens surveyed said watching videos helps with school work.
Ministers have promised by July to outline further restrictions, including potential curfews and curbs on “addictive” features such as infinite scroll and AI chatbots. Enforcing the ban will likely involve cracking down on virtual private networks (VPNs) that disguise a user’s location – a question that remains unanswered.
The gap between the government’s ambition and the detail released so far has left parents, schools and tech firms waiting for clarity on which apps will be blocked and how children will still find educational content. For now, the only certainty is that the battle over children’s online safety is far from over.