Britain has announced a ban on social media for under-16s, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirming that TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook and X will be inaccessible to teenagers as early as Spring 2027.
Messaging services including WhatsApp and Signal are exempt, as is YouTube Kids. Legislation is expected to be put to parliament before the end of the year.
The announcement marks a shift for Starmer, who had previously been cautious about committing to an outright ban. The decision followed a government-led consultation process that included real-world trials in which British teenagers tested social media restrictions and app time limits.
Britain joins a rapidly expanding list of countries moving to restrict children’s access to social media. Australia led the way in December, becoming the first nation to implement a ban for under-16s. Spain, France, Denmark, Norway and Malaysia have since followed or announced their plans to do so. Canada introduced similar legislation last week.
The British version of the ban is among the most expansive to date. The proposed ban will gaming and livestreaming platforms that allow children to interact with strangers. Under-18s will also be barred from accessing “So-called AI romantic companion chatbots” that are designed to simulate sexual relationships or roleplay with users. Similar intimate functionalities will also be restricted for under-18s users on AI chatbots more widely.
Overnight curfews on social media access for under-18s is also under consideration, with further announcements expected in July. How this will work remains to be seen.
The new legislation aims to close the gaps in Britain’s existing 2023 Online Safety Act, which does not cover one-to-one interactions with AI chatbots unless content was shared with other users.
Starmer acknowledged that circumvention is inevitable but argued it is beside the point, drawing a comparison with alcohol age restrictions. Enforcement, he said, will fall on the platforms rather than on children or their families, with significant fines on the table for companies that fail to comply.
“Parents want to keep their kids safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever,” said Starmer.
“This is a line in the sand. Tech giants had their chance and failed, but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations.”
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall added that Britain intends to go further than Australia in closing the loopholes that allowed the ban there to be so widely bypassed.
“Tech companies have had countless opportunities to keep children safe, yet they have failed to act. That is why we are a taking power away from the tech giants and putting it back in parents’ hands.
“My driving force has always been to give every child, from every background, the best possible start in life. That is what these regulations will deliver,” said Kendall.
B&T has contacted Meta, Snap, Google and TikTok for comment.
