The blanket ban, a legacy policy for Keir Starmer’s premiership, would apply to algorithm-led platforms that allow users to post material, such as Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. It would not affect messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal, and exemptions would exist for educational, e-commerce and music streaming services.
It would block under-16s from communicating with strangers or livestreaming on certain online services, including gaming sites, although children could still take part in multiplayer games online. The government may also introduce overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18s, and will set out more details on this in July.
The ban, likely to take effect in spring 2027, will be brought in by secondary legislation under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. Regulator Ofcom has said it will publish its strategy on enforcement as soon as possible.
However, Julian Hayes, partner at BCL Solicitors, said ‘tech-savvy children circumvent bans or experiment with even more dangerous online forums’.
Alex Brown, partner and head of TMT at Simmons & Simmons, said: ‘The proposed ban, as well as other protections to apply to u18s, will require the social media companies to grapple with the difficult task of age verification.
‘The ICO’s (Information Commissioner’s Office) recent enforcement activity in that area shows that there are difficult practical challenges to be overcome in relation to verifying a user’s age.’
In February, the ICO fined Reddit £14m for failures in age assurance by relying on self-declaration—Reddit is appealing the fine. However, critics including the Open Right Group warn that alternative methods such as face scanning so software can calculate a person’s age, tracking and profiling behaviour, or checking digital identity documents, carry their own privacy and data protection risks.
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