The British government plans to ban access to social media for all children under 16, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday, after weeks in which the nation debated how it would introduce new protections for children online.
Mr. Starmer said the government would introduce the new regulations in Parliament before Christmas and bring a ban into force in the early part of 2027. The measures will also include restrictions on game platforms and livestreaming apps, with more details expected to be announced next month.
“I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen,” Mr. Starmer said at a news conference.
The government has faced growing pressure to act on the issue as public opinion has coalesced around the idea that more should be done to keep children safe online. One YouGov poll in December found that 74 percent of Britons surveyed supported a ban on social media for children under 16.
Mr. Starmer acknowledged that the ban might not be perfect and would not be cost-free, but he added, “Government is always about choices, and it’s clear to me that a full ban is the right choice.”
In March, the government invited public input on the issue, drawing more than 116,000 responses from parents, young people, industry groups and experts.
The government said that 90 percent of parents who responded backed a minimum age of 16 for access to social media and that 85 percent said the risks of social media outweighed the benefits.
The measures will follow a similar model to that of Australia, where a ban was introduced in December, and will apply to platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, the government said. Messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal will not be included in the restrictions.
The government said it also planned to block children under 16 from livestreaming and from communicating with strangers on a wider range of online services, including game sites. The government said it would also be “looking in more detail at overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling” for people under 18.
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There is little data available to understand the consequences of Australia’s ban, academics have stressed, but six months in, early indications are that it has largely failed at keeping young teenagers off the platforms. But some Australian parents say the real impact of the law may not be felt for years, when younger children who are not yet on social media may stay off because of the regulations.
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