Keir Starmer is set to announce a Social Media Ban that would bar under-16s from major apps including TikTok, Instagram and X, while also reaching beyond the main platforms into other online products. The plan would also bring new limits for older teenagers and could curb features on gaming apps and messaging tools that let children contact strangers.
The move matters now because the government has been building toward a harder line after consultation responses showed strong parental support for a minimum age of 16. On Sunday, ministers said nine out of 10 parents backed that threshold, and almost two-thirds of young people who responded said restricting high-risk features would make them safer online.
The scale of the proposal goes further than a simple age check on social media. UK government sources indicated the ban would apply to a similar range of apps to the 10 major platforms already restricted in Australia, where children under 16 were shut out in December 2025. Under the UK plan, online products that are not covered by the ban could still face feature-level restrictions, including the removal of stranger chat, disappearing messages and location sharing.
That breadth is what makes the policy unusual. Under-18s would also be blocked from romantic or sexual AI chatbots, and older teenagers could face limits that prevent late-night scrolling. Starmer has already moved on related online harms, announcing new restrictions on sending nude images last week, and senior government sources said he was originally sceptical of social media bans before settling behind a far tougher approach.
Matthew Sinclair warned that blanket limits on features could backfire. He said they would stifle access to age-appropriate experiences with proper parental controls and push children toward riskier unregulated alternatives. The government may still need legislation to enforce the changes and to keep pace with new technology, although the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act already gives ministers some powers.
What comes next is not the political direction but the legal machinery. The announcement is expected to set out the principle of the ban and the wider feature restrictions, but the government has not yet spelled out the full route it will use to turn them into enforceable rules.
