U.K. to Ban Social Media for Under 16s

By Mauro Orru

The U.K. plans to ban social media for children under the age of 16, ramping up pressure on Big Tech as more countries weigh restrictions to shield younger users from what they see as potentially harmful content.

The government said it would restrict livestreaming and communication with strangers for under 16s not just on social media, but across other online services like gaming sites. Those restrictions will be active by default for under 16s and 17-year-olds.

London said it would also consider overnight curfews and curbs when it comes to scrolling content on feeds for under 18s.Other curbs are expected for under 18s on artificial-intelligence chatbots that can act as romantic companions when users ask them to simulate sexual relationships.

Renewed focus on child safety in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe comes months after Australia became the first country in the world to enact a ban on social media for under 16s. Since then, several governments around the world have considered banning or have introduced legislation to ban social media for certain age groups of minors.

Lawmakers across many European countries have spoken in favor of restricting social media access for different age groups of youths. In Asia, Indonesia recently began restricting children under 16 from accessing social media, while in the U.S., Florida is enforcing a ban on social-media use under the age of 14.

Bans, or plans to curb access to platforms, show that social-media companies face growing criticism from governments and regulators that say they aren't doing enough to protect younger users from potentially harmful content that might pop up on their feeds because of addictive algorithms.

The U.K. government said it was seeking to emulate the Australian model with a ban targeting platforms with algorithms like TikTok, Meta Platforms' Instagram and Facebook, Snapchat, Alphabet's YouTube and Elon Musk's X where users can post, but not messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal. The government said the first set of restrictions could be in force next spring.

"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," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

A YouTube spokesperson said it had invested in age-appropriate experiences and protections for teens for over a decade and that blanket bans pushed children out of supervised platforms and toward anonymous, less safe services. TikTok, Meta Platforms, Snapchat and X didn't respond to requests for comment.

The announcement of a ban in the U.K. comes a week after Starmer called on companies like Apple and Google to activate safeguards on smartphones and tablets to detect and block nude images for children, giving Big Tech a three-month deadline to act or face new legislation that could include fines for companies, and even criminal liability for tech bosses.

Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 15, 2026 04:53 ET (08:53 GMT)