The UK government will introduce restrictions on the use of social media for citizens under 16. The relevant regulations are planned to be adopted by the end of December. This will allow the authorities to implement the first measures by the spring of 2027. The ban is to be built on the Australian model. It will cover platforms with algorithmic feeds and user-generated content, including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. WhatsApp and Signal are not planned to be included. Educational and commercial platforms, as well as music streaming services, will be added to the exceptions. "Parents want their children to be safe and happy, but the world of online technology has made this harder than ever. [...] That is why we are going further than any other country in the world by banning social media for those under 16 and introducing broader protective measures to give children back their childhood," said Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In parallel, the authorities will tighten the rules for minors in other online services, including gaming platforms. Users under 16 will have live-streaming features and the ability to communicate with strangers blocked. In July 2026, the authorities promised to separately present decisions on a "curfew" and feed breaks for children under 18. Additional requirements are being prepared for AI platforms. Chatbots imitating romantic or sexual relationships with the user will be required to set a minimum age of 18. Similar features in a wider range of services will be restricted for minors. Ofcom will conduct an accelerated study of age verification mechanisms. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has requested an urgent review of the regulator's enforcement capabilities for the new rules and promised additional funding. Background to the bans The announcement of the restrictions followed the Growing up in the Online World public consultation, in which more than 116,000 people took part. According to the survey, nine out of ten parents supported a ban on social media for children under 16. Two thirds of young respondents agreed that teenagers should not use at least some of the platforms. The UK already had a safety measure, the Online Safety Act, restricting the use of phones in school classrooms. However, the authorities are doing everything they can to expand controls on the internet. In early June, Starmer gave Apple and Google three months to launch built-in mechanisms for blocking intimate images on smartphones and tablets belonging to Britons under 18. Otherwise, the government promised to take measures in the form of fines and restrictions. In the autumn of 2025, the prime minister also announced plans to introduce a mandatory digital ID for workers, but the idea was abandoned due to a sharp negative public reaction. The government initially insisted on the universal use of BritCard to combat illegal employment, but has now moved to introducing an optional digital identity document. The chair of the UK Home Affairs Committee, Karen Bradley, described the attempt to introduce digital IDs as a "fiasco." She noted that the public was generally in favor of moving from paper identity documents to digital ones before citizens were "frightened by poorly explained" plans. Britons' reaction Public opinion on the introduction of restrictions on social media for teenagers was divided. The measures are mostly supported by the older generation. Many are concerned about online bullying, the risk of online harassment and harmful content. In interviews with the BBC, parents spoke whose children had allegedly become victims of these phenomena. However, Ian Russell, whose daughter took her own life at the age of 14, accused the government of hastily introducing restrictions for political reasons. He believes that "brute-force methods" only create more problems. At the same time, teenagers themselves expressed concern about how a social media ban would affect their communication with friends and self-expression. "We have already outgrown the point where we need to be told what to do," said 14-year-old George on the radio. Representatives of Meta also commented on the situation. The corporation believes that the ban will not achieve the goal of ensuring teenagers' safety online. "As we see in the example of Australia, bans risk isolating teenagers from online communities and information, pushing them toward unregulated alternatives that lack built-in safeguards and parental controls," the company added. The restrictions were also criticized by YouTube and Snapchat. Telegram founder Pavel Durov published a separate post on this topic. In his opinion, the bans only expose children to even greater danger. "Teenagers are being forced to use VPNs — and they will be able to unlock far more dangerous illegal content. [...] Parents already have tools that allow them to limit their children's digital habits: parental controls, screen time or no smartphone at all. Instead, many parents give toddlers an iPad to keep them quiet," he emphasized. As a reminder, on July 1, 2025, the Chinese government launched digital IDs for use on the internet, transferring responsibility for citizens' online identification from private companies to the state.

Source: ForkLog