The UK will bar children under 16 from using a range of social-media platforms — including Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube — in an effort to shield young people from toxic online content and ballooning screen time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday.
The sweeping restrictions are set to take effect early next year, delivering a blow to social media giants whose services have grown wildly popular with younger users.
“Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy,” said Starmer, who has two teenage children. “I’ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them.”
The PM said at a press conference he’s prepared to stand up to tech titans that oppose the policy, adding that companies that don’t make reasonable efforts to enforce the ban could face multimillion-dollar fines. Enforcement would be aimed at tech companies, as opposed to kids, he emphasized.
The ban is expected to cover Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, though it will not apply to YouTube Kids or messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal.
A Meta spokesperson said the company’s teen accounts are designed to keep youths safe online, adding that “we don’t think bans will achieve this goal.”
“To be both effective and easy for parents, any restrictions must be underpinned by an age verification system on devices so people aren’t asked to hand over ID to dozens of individual services to prove their age. We will continue to engage with the government and Ofcom as they work to implement this policy,” the spokesperson added, referring to the UK’s communications regulator.
YouTube echoed the criticism, telling The Post: “We’ve invested in expert-led, age-appropriate experiences and default protections for teens for over a decade and will continue to do so.
“Blanket bans push kids out of … curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less safe services.”
The UK is following a model set by Australia, which last year became the first country to ban those under 16 from having social media accounts.
It is joining a growing number of countries limiting social media companies’ ability to reach young people – Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age limits on children’s access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are considering or developing similar measures.
Starmer said some teenagers will undoubtedly try to get around the restrictions, but he’s “not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children.”
The policy follows a public consultation that generated 116,000 responses from parents, children and members of the tech industry. More than 90% of respondents supported a ban for those under 16, according to the UK authorities.
Starmer said the government intends to go beyond Australia’s measures. Officials plan to prevent strangers from contacting children through gaming and livestreaming platforms and are considering additional safeguards, including overnight curfews. There may be limits on “infite scrolling,” too. Further details are expected next month.
The London-based National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children cheered the UK’s effort but said aggressive enforcement including “robust age checks” would be the only way to ensure platforms comply with the rules.
Critics, meanwhile, said the ban could raise concerns about privacy and data protection.
A YouTube spokesperson warned Monday that a broad social-media ban could “push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services.”
Starmer acknowledged the difficulties involved in enforcing the restrictions but said success would be measured by “a massive drop off of children on social media” and “a cultural change, a sense that actually you can grow up differently.”
A statement from the US Embassy in London earlier this month in response to the UK’s consultation expressed concern that new rules could impose additional burdens on US technology companies.
“The United States believes effective child protection does not require sacrificing privacy or innovation,” the statement read. “The best answer to challenges posed by technology is almost always better technology, not broad bans or blunt regulatory instruments.”
Starmer said he expected to discuss the issue with President Trump and other leaders at this week’s Group of Seven summit in France.
“I honestly think that across world leaders, there has always been a recognition that leaders have to take steps to protect children,” he said. “I don’t think that’s controversial. There will always be arguments as to exactly what the limits of that are and what rules should be in place, but I don’t see that as a problem.”