By Sabiu Abdullahi
The United Kingdom government has announced plans to prohibit children under the age of 16 from accessing major social media platforms, citing concerns about online safety and the impact of digital content on young people.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled the proposal on Monday. He argued that social media platforms are harming children’s wellbeing and exposing them to inappropriate material.
According to Starmer, the government “will ban access to social media for all children under the age of 16”. He also warned that these platforms are “exposing them to content that is dangerous” and “designed to be addictive”.
The proposed restriction will cover platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. Messaging services, including WhatsApp, will not be affected.
Starmer said he expects the legislation to be approved by the end of December, with implementation scheduled for the spring of next year.
The British leader also disclosed that the government intends to take “world-leading action on gaming services and live streaming platforms”. Officials are considering additional measures, including overnight restrictions and limits on endless scrolling features for users under 18. More details are expected in July.
The proposal follows a government consultation that allowed British teenagers to test social media restrictions and app time limits. Authorities said the initiative drew about 116,000 responses, making it one of the largest consultations ever conducted by the government.
The plan was influenced by Australia’s decision to ban social media use for people under 16. Australia became the first country to adopt such a policy in December.
Not everyone supports the move. A YouTube spokesperson cautioned that a blanket ban could push children toward “less safe services”.
Starmer also addressed concerns about gaming and live-streaming platforms that allow contact between children and strangers.
“Is there a situation in the offline world where you would just let your child pair up with a stranger? An adult that you don’t know about? No. So we’re taking action on that,” he said.
The UK announcement comes shortly after the government directed major technology firms, including Apple and Google, to introduce safety tools that prevent children from creating, sending or receiving nude images on mobile devices.
Authorities warned that legislation would be introduced if the companies fail to implement the required protections within three months.
The Labour government stated that technology firms have a “moral responsibility” to “protect children from coercion, abuse and sextortion”.
Meanwhile, several countries have introduced or proposed similar measures. Canada recently proposed legislation that would prevent children under 16 from opening social media accounts, while Indonesia began enforcing a comparable restriction in March. A number of European governments have also indicated interest in adopting similar policies.
According to figures cited by the UK government from the Internet Watch Foundation, 91 percent of online child sexual abuse reports recorded in 2024 involved self-generated content created by children.
