In one of the biggest moves of its kind, the UK Government has announced a social media ban for under-16s, including some of the most popular mobile phone apps.
In the announcement, the Government says the intention is for children to be “given back their childhoods”, with “less time for scrolling and more time for play”.
The ban won’t come into force straight away. It’s expected to be brought to Parliament before Christmas and come into force in spring 2027 – these are the apps confirmed to be affected by the ban:
- TikTok
- YouTube
- X (formerly Twitter)
- Snapchat
It’s also been confirmed that messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal won’t be included in the ban. However, there are plenty that remain in the unknown pile. These include:
- Bsky (Bluesky)
- Threads
- Telegram
- Discord
- Twitch
- Vimeo
- Tumblr
- Meetup
- BeReal
We’ll have to wait for more information as the Government says the move will be more than a blanket ban on social media, thanks to “world-leading blocks on harmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s”.
It also said these restrictions will apply to a “wider range of online services, including on gaming sites”.
Most dating apps already have an age requirement of 18, but there’s also a comment on AI ‘romantic companion’ chatbots, users of which will need to have a minimum age of 18, while “overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18-year-olds and will set out more detail in July”.
What the Government hasn’t commented on is how it plans to tackle teens getting around the ban by using a VPN (virtual private network).