UK to ban social media for those under 16

Access to social media for individuals under the age of 16 will be prohibited in the United Kingdom starting in spring 2027, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a press conference broadcast by Sky News, Report informs.

"This is not something I do lightly . But government is always about choices, and it's clear to me that a full ban is the right choice," Starmer said.

According to him, social media is "designed to be addictive" and "is making children unhappy," as it also enables bullying and harassment, and can harm children's mental health.

The British government intends to take the model used in Australia as a basis: a similar ban has been in effect there since December 2025. It affected Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, and YouTube.

According to Australian law, all responsibility for its violation falls on technology platforms, which face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32.9 million) if they do not take all possible measures to deactivate the accounts of minors. Since then, the Australian authorities have deactivated at least 4.7 million accounts of children and adolescents.

The amount of fines to be applied in the United Kingdom is not specified. However, the ban does not apply to messengers like WhatsApp, and AI chatbots for romantic communication can only be used from the age of 18.