Politics
The Under-16 Social Media Ban
— 2 mins read
The father who lost his daughter to online harm says bans are a 'sledgehammer'
The government will ban major social media platforms from offering their services to under-16s, with the new rules expected to protect children from spring 2027.
Platforms named in reporting include Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. The ban will be brought in through regulations under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, planned before the end of this year.
What the rules actually say
It is not a blanket ban on everything online. The rules target major and high-risk platforms, which will be legally required to stop under-16s accessing their services.
For 16 and 17-year-olds, the government has announced overnight curfews on certain apps, running from midnight to 6am. Notifications will be switched off and features such as autoplay and personalised feeds restricted.
These are default settings, not a hard block. Older teenagers can switch them off. Some early reporting described the curfew as mandatory, which it is not.
It makes more sense to enforce existing laws than to use 'sledgehammer techniques like bans'.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defended the move on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on 14 June. 'Tech companies have had more than enough time to get their own house in order and to be able to create products that keep children safe online', she said. 'If they are not prepared to do it, they lose the right, frankly, to market their products towards children.'
The support figure ministers are quoting
The government says nine in 10 parents back a ban on under-16s using social media.
This comes from the government's own 'Growing Up in the Online World' consultation, which drew more than 116,000 responses. Respondents chose to take part, so the sample was self-selecting. Representative polling by YouGov put parental support at around 77%, and other surveys found more doubt about whether a ban would actually work.
What happened when Australia tried it
Australia brought in the world's first under-16 social media minimum age law in late 2025, with fines of up to A$49.5 million (c.£26.4 million) for platforms that breach it.
Early results are not encouraging. A University of Newcastle study found around 85% of under-16s were still using the platforms three months after the ban took effect. Children got around it by opening new accounts or using workarounds.
The campaigner who opposes the ban
Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly died by suicide in 2017 after viewing self-harm content online, does not support the ban. He has campaigned for years to hold tech companies to account, and says it makes more sense to enforce existing laws than to use 'sledgehammer techniques like bans'.
The regulations are due before Parliament by the end of 2026, with the ban and curfew defaults expected to take effect from spring 2027. Enforcement will rest on the platforms themselves, backed by the threat of fines.
