UK government announces ban on social media for under-16s, including YouTube and possibly Twitch

The UK government has announced a ban on social media for children under 16.

The government will attempt to pass the regulation “before Christmas”, according to Prime Minister Kier Starmer, with the ban then set to come into place by Spring 2027.

When it does, all children aged under 16 will be banned from social media platforms including X, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.

While a list of specific banned platforms will be decided by ministers at a later date (as reported by The Guardian), the government has stated that it will also be blocking sites with livestreaming capabilities, and specifically mentioned “gaming sites”, suggesting Twitch may also see a ban.

“In a move to protect children online and address the scale of the challenge, the government will also go further than a blanket ban on social media with world-leading blocks on harmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s,” the government said in a press released.

“These restrictions – which together with the ban go further than any other country – will apply to a wider range of online services, including on gaming sites.”

The government is also considering curfews or “breaks in infinite scrolling” for under-18s, with more detail on this said to be coming in July.

“Parents want to keep their kids safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. “I’ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them.

“That’s why we’re going further than any country in the world by banning social media for under-16s and putting wider protections in place to give kids their childhood back.

“This is a line in the sand. Tech giants had their chance and failed, but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations.”

Australia was the first country to ban social media for under-16s, which came into effect last year. Spain and Portugal are likely to follow this year, while similar bans are being processed in France, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Some services such as Discord and Xbox have already been rolling out age verification checks in countries where it’s legally required to do so, including in the UK where the Online Safety Act – which came into effect in July 2025 – requires users to verify their age to view potentially sensitive content. On Xbox, for example, players currently now need to verify their age to use voice or text communication with anyone outside their friends list.

In an interview with the BBC, Esther Ghey – whose teenage daughter Brianna Ghey was murdered in 2023 – welcomed the ban, but warned that simply shutting off access to the services without acknowledging its impact on those who use it could be problematic.

“The thing that I kept hearing over and over again is that the horse has already bolted,” she said, “and I’m so glad now that this announcement has been made.”

She added: “We can’t just take things away from children, and I think that although we are celebrating that this could potentially save so many children’s lives, there will be children and other campaigners out there [who] will be concerned about this decision, and we need to make sure that there is support in place for these children.”

According to the government, following a consultation on its plans, 9 out of 10 parents back decisive action on social platforms for children, and Ghey was just one of a number of bereaved parents who told the BBC that they welcomed today’s announcement.

Not everyone believes it’s the right move, however. The Molly Rose Foundation – set up in memory of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who  took her own life in 2017 after viewing harmful content online – said the ban wouldn’t work because it “will fail to tackle fundamental product safety risks issues and leaves parents with a false sense of safety”.

According to the foundation, the ban will reduce pressure on social media platforms to tackle harmful algorithms, which it believes children will still find a way to access anyway.

“A majority of children will continue to use high-risk sites that will have no incentive to implement robust protections,” chief executive Andy Burrows told The Standard.

“This is not what online safety experts believe will work and is necessary. Keir Starmer has chosen to abdicate responsibility for tackling harmful algorithms and his legacy will be setting back children’s safety by years.”

Labour MP Feryal Clark, co-chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for digital creators, also told The Standard that a blanket ban on sites like YouTube risked depriving them of genuinely useful information.

“High-quality, creator-led educational video content is a critical public resource and is not the same thing as social media,” she argued. “For example, many young people use it to revise for GCSEs, to learn a language or a musical instrument.

“Any legislative intervention must capably address this distinction. Failing to do so would be dangerously short-sighted and cut off opportunities from young people at exactly the moment they need these things most.”

In a statement made to Wired, YouTube criticised the decision, claiming it could lead children to seek alternative sources that may be comparatively less secure.

“YouTube is a vital resource for young people, educators and parents” YouTube spokesperson Jay Stoll said. “Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less safe services.”