Britain will ban children under 16 from using a range of social media apps including Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube to protect young people from harmful content and excessive screen time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday. Starmer told a news conference that he will fight back if tech companies resist the move, and acknowledged some teens would try to find their way around a ban. But he said he is "not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children," per the AP. "Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy," said Starmer, who has two teenage children. "I've heard firsthand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them."
The move, expected to take effect early next year, makes the UK part of a growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children's access to social media. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand, and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches. The UK plans to follow the same model for a social media ban as Australia, which last year became the first country to bar under-16s from holding social media accounts. Platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to exclude children younger than 16 could be punished with multimillion-dollar fines. The UK said its ban will apply to platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X, but not YouTube Kids or messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal. Starmer stressed that enforcement will target tech companies, not children.
He said the government will act to prevent strangers from contacting children on gaming and livestreaming platforms. Authorities are also considering additional measures, including overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for those under 18. The decision follows a public comment period in which the government received 116,000 responses from parents, the tech industry, and children. The number of responses was second only to one seeking input about same-sex marriage in 2012. The vast majority of respondents—more than 90%—wanted an under-16 ban. NSPCC, a leading children's charity, praised the government's ambition but urged authorities to ensure platforms roll out "robust age checks" and effectively enforce the policy. Critics, including the Open Rights Group, have expressed concerns about age verification companies and how users' private data is protected.
Reacting on Monday, a YouTube rep warned that blanket social media restrictions could "push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services." Starmer acknowledged the challenges, but said success for the ban would mean "a massive drop-off of children on social media" and "a cultural change, a sense that actually you can grow up differently." The ban could further inflame tensions with the US, which has warned that regulations should be narrow and not violate free speech protections, according to a statement from the US Embassy in London. Starmer said he expected to discuss the issue with President Trump and other world leaders at the Group of Seven summit in France that starts Monday.
"I honestly think that across world leaders, there has always been a recognition that leaders have to take steps to protect children," he said. "I don't think that's controversial."
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