UK to Bar Under-16s From Social Media Platforms in 2027

Parents across Britain have long reported watching their children withdraw from family life and schoolwork while glued to phones. The government now plans to remove the main apps driving that pattern.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday that children under 16 will lose default access to Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal, along with YouTube Kids, remain outside the ban. The rules will also block under-16s from chatting with strangers, livestreaming and using romantic chatbots on gaming and other platforms. Romantic companion chatbots must set a minimum age of 18.

Legislation is expected before the end of the year, with enforcement beginning in spring 2027. Ofcom will design the age-assurance systems. Platforms that fail to exclude minors face multimillion-pound fines. The government says it will study overnight curfews and scrolling breaks for under-18s and will release further details next month.

The policy follows a consultation that drew 116,000 responses. More than 90 percent of those respondents supported an under-16 age limit. Starmer described the measures as going beyond Australia’s December 2025 ban and said enforcement will target companies, not children.

Esther Ghey, whose daughter Brianna was murdered in 2023 after exposure to harmful online content, welcomed the ban but stressed it must be paired with other safeguards. The NSPCC called the ambition positive yet urged robust age checks. The Open Rights Group warned that age-verification firms could endanger user privacy.

YouTube and Snap both cautioned that a blanket block could drive minors toward less moderated services. A University of Cambridge professor noted that device-level policing is technically difficult and could steer some users to unregulated sites.

Australia’s experience shows mixed results: its regulator reported that 70 percent of under-16s continued accessing banned platforms months after the rules took effect, prompting compliance investigations. The UK government has promised stronger age-assurance tools to avoid similar outcomes.

Starmer said he expects to discuss the policy with other leaders at the upcoming G7 summit. Details on exact verification methods and costs remain under development.