BREAKING: Government Announces Ban On Social Media For Under-16s
Britain has become the fourth country, after Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia, to ban social media use for children under 16, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying the move is aimed at protecting children’s wellbeing.
The new “Australia-plus” approach will also restrict livestreaming on platforms considered safer and prevent children from interacting with strangers on gaming apps, according to British government officials, the BBC reported.
Ministers are also considering social media curfews for children, although further details on that part of the plan will not be published until next month.
The move comes a fortnight after the close of the government’s three-month consultation, which examined both an outright ban and a range of other steps aimed at limiting children’s exposure to harmful online features.
Australia brought in the world’s first full social media ban for under-16s in December 2025. According to a report in The Sunday Times, the UK is expected to apply a ban covering the same 10 platforms barred in Australia for that age group: TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, X, Threads, Facebook and Kick. The report said the UK would go further than Australia by adding measures such as curfews for older teenagers and limits on AI chatbots.
