UK Plans to Ban Social Media for Under-16s

Starmer once opposed such a move, but said evidence had convinced him. A public consultation drew about 116,000 responses, and more than 90% backed a ban. "Social media is making children unhappy," he told reporters, pointing to harm to mental health and to bullying. Britain follows Australia, which last year became the first country to bar under-16s from holding accounts. Technology companies pushed back. A YouTube spokesperson warned that broad bans could drive children toward "anonymous, less-safe services", and Meta worried about isolating teenagers. Elon Musk, who owns X, called the plan censorship.

Big questions remain about enforcement. The government has promised "highly effective age assurance", which could involve facial age estimation, photo identification or digital identity services. However, the regulator Ofcom has warned that checking an age of 16 is harder than 18, and it will publish detailed proposals in the autumn. Officials also admit that some teenagers may use VPNs (virtual private networks) to hide their location. Starmer said he expected to discuss the policy with US President Donald Trump and other leaders at the G7 (Group of Seven) summit in France.