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UK to ban under-16s from ‘high risk’ social media apps

UK to ban under-16s from ‘high risk’ social media apps Teenagers under the age of 16 are to be banned

Five big questions about the UK's under-16s social media ban

ban is coming for under-16s in the UK](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2kydl0zqeko). However, details on which apps

Why is the UK launching an ‘Australia plus’ social media ban and how will it work?

UK launching an ‘Australia plus’ social media ban and how will it work? Keir Starmer is expected to announce sweeping [“Australia-plus” restrictions on under-16s](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jun/14/starmer-to-announce-australia-plus-ban-on-social-media-for-under-16s) accessing harmful social media apps

Limit social media ban for under-16s to unsafe apps, Starmer urged

apps to be vetted before they can be accessed by under-16s. New features would also undergo safety checks before they are launched. The UK’s legal framework for social media regulation, the Online Safety

UK police bosses say unsafe social media platforms should be blocked for under-16s

apps which do not disable "high-risk" features such as private messaging, UK police chiefs have said. The National Crime Agency (NCA) and National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) said under-16s should be banned

‘A tsunami of harm’: views on tackling online safety for under-16s in the UK

under-16s, with teenagers allowed to access “safe” apps. Currently, most major platforms have a minimum age of 13 in the UK, a limit set, in effect, by the General Data Protection Regulation. There

Under-16s to be banned from TikTok, YouTube and other social media by next spring, Starmer says

UK will be forced off social media after the government announced it would ban under-16s from accessing a range of platforms. Apps

Social media as bad for young people as smoking, top doctors say

ban social media for under-16s in the UK. But Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has said it wants age verification to be handled on a device level, so underage children would

Rushed social media ban for under-16s in UK could ‘unravel’, charity warns

ban, it would be different from the under-16s block in Australia where age limitations are imposed if a service enables social interaction between two or more users, and if it allows users to post

White House urges UK not to ban social media for under-16s

apps will be banned but there are expected to be exemptions for “educational” platforms, amid reports that YouTube Kids could be carved out of a ban. [In Australia there is a blanket ban](https://www.theguardian.com

Starmer to announce ‘Australia plus’ ban on social media for under-16s

under-16s](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/04/australia-social-media-ban-under-16s-three-month-review) are restricted from 10 major platforms – TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X, Threads, Snapchat, Twitch and Kick. UK government sources indicated that the bans on major platforms would apply

Tuesday briefing: Is a social media ban in the UK enough to help protect young people?

UK government should instead block under-16s from accessing risky features such as infinite scrolling, disappearing messages and push notifications. This tallies with the “layered approach” Dan anticipates from Starmer, “but it’s also clear

TikTok and YouTube 'not safe enough' for kids, says Ofcom

apps - including TikTok stopping direct messaging for under-16s and YouTube's short-form video timer, where parents can set time limits for the scrolling Shorts feed. Social media consultant and analyst Matt Navarra said

Keir Starmer set to announce under-16s social media ban – UK politics live

UK government showed little interest in following the Australian government when it announced [its social media ban for under-16s.](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/29/children-to-be-banned-from-having-youtube-accounts-as-albanese-government-backflips-on-exemption) Within months the view in government was changing, and by early

Crackdown on tech platforms will go ahead despite US intervention, says No 10

under-16s accessing social media, meaning popular platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are blocked. Previously, Kendall has said nine out of 10 parents responding to the consultation support an under-16 ban

'I can't stop using it' - under-16s have their say on possible social media ban

under-16s from creating new social media accounts - and deactivated existing ones - on ten major social media platforms including TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Iga thinks any attempt to do the same here would just result

Starmer tells social media firms in No 10 meeting ‘things can’t go on like this’

under-16s. Meta owns Facebook and Instagram, and Google owns YouTube. The government is [consulting on](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/19/uk-ministers-launch-consultation-into-whether-to-ban-social-media-for-under-16s) setting a firm social media age limit alongside potential limitations on app features such as infinite

Britain announces sweeping social media ban for under-16s

under-16s as the United Kingdom plans to join a growing list of countries that place online restrictions on children. The sweeping changes will reflect Britain’s values, help to protect children online and push

Social media ban - bold and blunt, but no silver bullet

under-16s, I had to hand in my phone for security reasons. The temporary anxiety it gave me was perhaps a small insight into how many of the nation's 13 to 15-year-olds

‘The genie’s out the bottle’: parents react to UK under-16s social media ban

UK government has announced [a social media ban for under-16s](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jun/15/keir-starmer-social-media-ban-under-16s-tik-tok-instagram-snapchat-twitter-x-meta-uk-politics-latest-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-6a2fa66e8f08b3c2b5d2f5bd#block-6a2fa66e8f08b3c2b5d2f5bd), which it says is expected to come into force next spring. Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, X and Facebook [will