Why the UK is moving to ban children under-16 from social media

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Why the UK is moving to ban children under-16 from social media

The plan focuses on blocking access to social media platforms seen as risky for children under 16.

3 min readJun 13, 2026 01:28 PM IST

First published on: Jun 13, 2026 at 01:02 PM IST

Teenagers under the age of 16 are to be banned from accessing “high-risk” social media apps. (File Photo)

The UK government plans to ban children under 16 from using “high-risk” social media apps and impose limits on safer platforms, according to a report by The Guardian.

The move is part of a wider effort to improve online safety for children. Under the proposal, under-18s will also be banned from using romantic or sexual AI chatbots.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to outline the plan, though officials will decide later which platforms fall under the ban.

The plan focuses on blocking access to social media platforms seen as risky for children under 16. At the same time, platforms considered “safer” will still face restrictions. These include limits on features such as disappearing messages, chatting with unknown adults, and livestreaming.

The aim is to reduce harmful online interactions while still allowing limited access to some services.

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What has the government said?

A Downing Street source told The Guardian the changes would be significant. “It’s not going to be an incremental change… this is not going to be half measures,” the source said.

They added that the prime minister believes stronger action is needed to support parents dealing with large technology companies.

The decision follows a public consultation that received more than 116,000 responses. The Guardian reported that nine out of 10 parents supported a ban on social media for under-16s.

Officials say the policy is meant to address concerns about harmful content and online risks faced by children.

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Some sources told The Guardian that banning certain platforms but not others could lead to legal action.

There are concerns the policy could be challenged through judicial review if companies argue the decision is unfair. However, legal experts say such challenges face a high threshold.

What about age checks and privacy?

The plan raises questions about how companies will verify users’ ages.

At present, UK law requires age checks mainly for adult content. Expanding this could mean tech firms collect more user data.This may create concerns around privacy and data protection.

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The government is expected to announce the policy soon, but details on which apps will be banned are not known yet.

Questions also remain about how the rules will be enforced and how tech companies will respond.

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