Plans to curb social media use for under-16s revealed
Summary
Social media for under-16s will be no more once a government move “to give kids their childhood back” is implemented next year – but awkward questions remain over the plan’s wisdom.
Details
Under the terms of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 , which Prime Minister Keir Starmer today said he hopes to see enacted early next year, social media platforms will be blocked from offering services to those born from 2012 onwards in a move that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology terms a “a line in the sand” to set “a new normal for future generations”.
The Prime Minister said: “We hope to pass regulation before Christmas, and therefore to bring the ban into force in the early part of next year, probably about springtime, so we can move a real pace here.” The previous government, he said, brought in the Online Safety Act but took eight years to change the law.
Styled as “Australia plus”, the measures, which Whitehall says has the backing of nine in 10 parents, appear set to ensure the UK will go further to protect children, promising additional restrictions on harmful features online, such as live streaming and strangers communicating with children.
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The Department said: “Children will be given back their childhoods thanks to government action to ban social media platforms from offering services to under-16s, with less time for scrolling and more time for play.
The plans will set a new normal for future generations, kickstarting a cultural shift and driving forward the government’s fight to give every child the best start in life.” Building on Australia’s social media ban, user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms, will be in the spotlight, including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.
WhatsApp and Signal are not set to be included in the ban. In further steps to shield children online, the government said it will also go further than a blanket ban on social media, with blocks on harmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s. The restrictions will include gaming sites.
Sir Keir added: “Parents want to keep their kids safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever. I’ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them.” He added: “Tech giants had their chance and failed.” Liz Kendall, Technology Secretary, added: “Tech companies have had countless opportunities to keep children safe, yet they have failed to act.
Report source: Punchline Gloucester