Under-16s will be banned from social media platforms as soon as spring 2027, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced this morning. Platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X are all within the scope of this new policy, while messaging services like WhatsApp are not.
The Prime Minister stated that he will not compromise on the safety and happiness of children, accusing these platforms of being intentionally designed to be addictive with specific features that lock you in for hours.
Australia was the first country in the world to introduce a similar ban last December, and Starmer says the government has learned from Australia, calling the new UK measures world-leading. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulated the Prime Minister on what he described as an important step forward.
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However, six months on from the Australian ban, BBC reporter Tiffanie Turnbull says implementing it remains incredibly difficult, with seventy percent of parents in a recent survey saying their children were still on banned platforms.
YouTube, Meta, and Snapchat have responded to the announcement, arguing that the ban could accidentally push young people toward less safe platforms.
If that is the best they have got, then I think they are in trouble, said bereaved father Mark Dowey in response to the companies. The government remains committed to implementing the restriction by the spring of 2027 despite the pushback from major tech firms.
