By Zainab Bakare
British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer has announced plans to ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms, saying the sites are harming young people’s wellbeing and exposing them to dangerous content.
Speaking on Monday, Starmer said the government would introduce legislation to prohibit under-16s from using major social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube and X.
According to the UK government, the proposed ban aims to protect children from harmful and addictive online content.
Messaging services such as WhatsApp would not be affected by the restrictions.
Starmer said he hopes the legislation will be passed by December and come into effect in spring next year.
The Prime Minister also revealed plans for tougher regulations on gaming and live-streaming platforms, particularly services that allow strangers to contact children online.
“There is no situation in the offline world where you would allow your child to pair up with a stranger,” Starmer said, stressing the need for stronger protections for young users.
The government is also considering additional measures, including overnight social media curfews and mandatory breaks in infinite scrolling features for users under 18. Further details are expected in July.
The move follows the example of Australia, which became the first country to introduce a nationwide social media ban for under-16s in December.
The announcement comes after a public consultation that attracted around 116,000 responses, making it one of the largest consultations in UK government history.
More than 83 per cent of parents who participated said the risks of social media outweighed the benefits for children, while 91 per cent supported a minimum access age of 16.
The proposed restrictions are part of a broader digital safety agenda by the Labour government.
Last week, the UK warned technology companies, including Apple and Google, to introduce safeguards preventing children from sending, receiving or accessing nude images on their devices.
Officials say the measures are intended to combat online abuse, sextortion and child exploitation, while making it harder for predators to target young people online.
The UK joins a growing number of countries tightening regulations on children’s social media use.
Canada recently introduced similar legislation, while Indonesia began enforcing its own under-16 social media restrictions earlier this year.
