UK plans to ban under-16s from TikTok, Instagram, and nine other platforms
The UK government has announced plans to ban social media access for anyone under 16, following Australia's lead. A public consultation drew 116,000 responses — the largest since the 2012 same-sex marriage inquiry — with nine in ten participants in support, per NPR. The legislation is framed as a child safety measure, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer says it is needed to "give children back their childhood."
The platforms
Ten services are named in the plan: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X, Threads, Snapchat, Twitch, and Kick. WhatsApp and Signal are currently exempt — both are classified as messaging tools rather than social platforms. YouTube Kids and similar age-appropriate alternatives would also remain accessible. Starmer has also floated limits on children's access to AI chatbots and a curfew on messenger app use during overnight hours.
The bill is expected to reach Parliament before Christmas 2026, with enforcement starting in early 2027, reports NBC News.
The enforcement gap
Australia passed a near-identical law in December 2025 — and the results point to a significant problem. According to compliance data, roughly 70 percent of children with existing accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok kept access after the law took effect. YouTube's retention rate was around 50 percent. No specific age-verification technology has been mandated in either country, and that gap is where bans tend to fall apart.
The NSPCC and other child safety advocates in the UK support the ambition but are calling for "robust age checks" to be built into any legislation. The case of Brianna Ghey — a 16-year-old murdered in 2023 whose mother has campaigned for stricter platform rules — is widely cited as evidence that banning access alone, without stricter content moderation, may not be enough.
What comes next
The US State Department has already raised concerns, warning that UK platform regulations could burden American tech companies and raise free speech questions. That adds a diplomatic dimension to what Starmer is positioning as a defining domestic policy.
We are banning social media access for under 16s.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 15, 2026
These days kids must find their feet in a world where technology intrudes into every area of their life.
I just can’t let that go on anymore. So we’re giving children their childhoods back. pic.twitter.com/jn7iQrcwk8
Whether the UK can design tighter enforcement than Australia managed will determine whether this ban changes anything in practice — or simply moves the problem out of sight.
