The government has announced that social media platforms will be blocked from offering services to under-16s.
The move follows Australia’s social media ban which came into force in January.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK will go further to protect children with additional restrictions, such as live streaming and strangers communicating with children.
The plans, backed by nine in 10 parents, are expected to be brought to Parliament before Christmas, and could come into force as early as spring 2027.
The proposals fall under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. Using secondary legislation to introduce targeted protections means the government may not need to wait to bring them into force.
The government intends to use the same model for a social media ban as Australia. This would capture user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms.
The ban will include Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. Messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal are also expected to be included.
Restrictions on communication and video streaming functions will be activated by default for under 16- and 17-year-olds to prevent a ‘cliff-edge’ at 16. They will also apply to online gaming and social accounts.
The government is also considering overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18s, but will set out more detail in July.
The prime minister said: “Parents want to keep their kids safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever.
“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.”
The PM also said that so-called AI ‘romantic companion’ chatbots – designed to simulate sexual relationships or roleplay with users – will be banned to anyone under 18. Similar intimate functionalities will be restricted for under-18s on AI chatbots more widely.
Starmer added: “Taken together, these measures will mean a much more comprehensive model than just a blanket ban on social media — one that responds to how children experience harm online, rather than just where it happens.”
Technology secretary Liz Kendall said: “Tech companies have had countless opportunities to keep children safe, yet they have failed to act. That is why we are taking power away from the tech giants and putting it back in parents’ hands.
“My driving force has always been to give every child, from every background, the best possible start in life. That is what these regulations will deliver.”
The government also said it plans to introduce highly effective age assurance (HEAA) measures to support compliance, making it far harder for children to bypass safeguards.
Ofcom will conduct a rapid study on what is effective age assurance for verifying whether someone is over 16.
The secretary of state has also written to the new chair of Ofcom to ask for an urgent review of its enforcement capabilities with a clear enforcement strategy to be published as soon as possible.
