Britain to introduce legislation to ban under-16s on social media, Starmer says

Britain testament censor children below 16 from using a run of societal media apps including Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube to protect young people from harmful content and excessive screen time, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday.

Starmer told a news conference that he will fight back if technology companies resist the move, while acknowledging some teens would try to find their way around a ban. But he said he is "not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children."

"Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy," said Starmer, who has two teenage children. "I've heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them."

The move makes the U.K. Part of a growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children's access to social media. Other countries are considering similar legislation.

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The U.K. Plans to follow the same model for a social media ban as Australia, which last year became the first country to bar under-16s from holding social media accounts. Platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to exclude children younger than 16 could be punished with multimillion-dollar fines.

The U.K. Said its ban will apply to platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, but not YouTube Kids or messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal. Starmer stressed that enforcement action will target tech companies, not children.

The prime minister said the legislation he hopes will be in effect by next spring will go further than Australia's measures.

He said the government will act to prevent strangers from contacting children on gaming and livestreaming platforms. Authorities are also considering additional measures including overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for those under 18. More details are expected next month.

The decision follows a public comment period in which the government got 116,000 responses from parents, the tech industry and children. The number of responses was second only to one seeking input about same-sex marriage in 2012.

The vast majority of respondents — more than 90 per cent — wanted an under-16 ban, the government said.

Esther Ghey, whose 16-year-old daughter Brianna was killed in 2023 by two teenagers who had accessed harmful content online, said the ban would "potentially save so many children's lives," but that it had to be accompanied by other measures.

NSPCC, a leading children's charity, praised the government's ambition but urged authorities to ensure platforms roll out "robust age checks" and effectively enforce the policy.

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Critics including the Open Rights Group have expressed concerns about age verification companies and how users' private data is protected.

Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch said in an X post that the government "has finally woken up to the dangers of social media for young people," crediting her Tory Party shadow ministers for helping bring about what she called "the latest Labour U-turn."

Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage said the ban was "well-intentioned" but unlikely to work given the availability of virtual private networks that can shield a user's location.

"The real answer here is handsets for children with limited features," he said on X.

Reacting on Monday, a spokesperson for YouTube warned that a blanket social media restriction could "push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services."

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Starmer acknowledged the challenges, but said success for the ban would mean "a massive drop off of children on social media" and "a cultural change, a sense that, actually, you can grow up differently."

Starmer, elected just under two years ago, is under pressure to step down from members of his own party over what they see as poor leadership and could face a leadership challenge in the coming days or weeks. He is seeking to bring in consequential measures that can serve as a legacy.

"I honestly think that across world leaders, there has always been a recognition that leaders have to take steps to protect children," he said. "I don't think that's controversial. There will always be arguments as to exactly what the limits of that are and what rules should be in place, but I don't see that as a problem."

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Jon Crowcroft, a communications systems professor at the University of Cambridge, said people supporting social bans are well-meaning but probably misguided, and changes could prevent children from accessing sites they need.

"There is a real risk this will drive some users to worse sites and policing devices is close to impossible technically," Crowcroft said. "Policing platforms is far easier, if only regulators would bother."

The ban could further inflame tensions with the U.S., which has warned that regulations should be narrow and not violate free speech protections, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in London. It said it was also concerned that regulations would place greater burdens on American technology companies.

Starmer said he expected to discuss the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders this week at the G7 summit in France.

The British leader has experienced a stormy spring domestically, with steep losses in local elections and the resignations of his health secretary and defence secretary, among others who have questioned his leadership and policy decisions. Dozens of members of his Labour government, mostly from the back bench, have said Starmer should set out a timetable for his departure to make way for a new leader.

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