UK may ban social media for children under 16

K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is about to announce a ban on social media usage for children under the age of 16, according to multiple reports.

While the government had previously revealed that it was studying options around a ban, both the Guardian and the Financial Times said that Starmer is now ready to unveil the policy in a speech on Monday.

Government sources told the Guardian that the U.K. ban will cover a similar range of social platforms as Australia, where TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X, Threads, Snapchat, Twitch, and Kick are all banned for users under 16.

Other products, such as gaming apps, would not be banned outright, but for their younger users, they’d need to remove features like the ability to chat with strangers. The policy would also prohibit users under 18 from accessing romantic and sexual chatbots and seek to prevent late-night scrolling.