UK to Follow in Australia’s Footsteps With Social Media Ban for Children Under 16

Australia became the first country to prohibit the use of social media platforms for children under 16 in November 2024. Following the ban, other countries also announced their plans to regulate social media for underage users. Joining the list, the UK government on Monday announced that it is also banning social media for children under 16. While the British government has revealed its plan, it has yet to divulge how the new ban will be enforced. For reference, Australia fines social media and tech giants, including Meta and TikTok, if it fails to stop children under 16 from logging in to their platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

The UK Government Will Ban Social Media For All Children Under 16

In his speech from 10 Downing Street on Monday, the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the government would soon ban social media access for all children under the age of 16, claiming to give children their “childhoods back”. He cited mental health concerns, addiction, and bullying as a few of the reasons behind the decision.

The UK PM said, “Every parent can see it with their own eyes, social media is making children unhappy. It's making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health. Exposing them [children under 16] to content that is dangerous, because that's what grabs [their] attention. It's designed to be addictive. He further highlighted that features like “infinite scroll” are designed to lock users in for hours, while also stopping them from doing their homework, reading, and playing outside.

However, the UK government has neither introduced legislation to impose the social media ban for children under 16 nor revealed how the new restriction will be enforced. According to a BBC report, social media platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and the microblogging platform X will be part of the ban, keeping instant messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal out of the list.

The UK government will reportedly pass the regulation before December 25, while the ban will come into force in the Spring of 2027. The BBC report also claims that the decision came after a public consultation, where the government received more than 1,20,000 responses. Along with this, the UK government reportedly plans to regulate social media for users under the age of 18.

In November 2024, Australia became the first country to ban social media for children under 16. The Australian government enforces the law by asking social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, to bar underage users from logging into the platforms. If they fail to do so, the government can impose fines of up to AUD 49.5 million (roughly Rs. 331 crore).