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UK Plans to Ban Social Media for Under-16s

technologyJun 18, 2026·281 words·3 min read

On Monday, UK (United Kingdom) Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that Britain will stop children under 16 from using major social media platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. The rules are expected to begin in early 2027. Companies that fail to keep minors off their services could face fines of millions of pounds, though the penalties would target the platforms, not the children.

Starmer once said no to this idea. But he changed his mind after a public study. About 116,000 people gave their views, and more than 90% wanted a ban. "Social media is making children unhappy," he said, pointing to mental health harm and bullying. Britain follows Australia, the first country to stop under-16s from having accounts. Tech companies pushed back. YouTube said the ban could push children to less-safe apps. Elon Musk, who owns X, called it censorship.

Many questions remain. How will the rules work? The government wants strong age checks, using face scans, photos or digital identity. But the regulator Ofcom says checking age 16 is hard. It will share a full plan in the autumn. Some teenagers may use a VPN (virtual private network) to hide where they are. Starmer said he will discuss the plan with US President Donald Trump and other leaders at the G7 (Group of Seven) summit in France.

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