UK announces social media ban for under 16s

Today (15 June), the UK government has announced its plans to ban social media access for under 16s. This follows on from the UK governments "Growing up in the online world" consultation which closed at the end of May. According to the results of the consultation, a large majority of UK parents are in support of a social media ban for under 16s (89% of respondents supporting a legal requirement for a minimum age).

The UK government is proposing an "Australia+" ban which will include:

• An Australia-like ban on under 16 access to social media.
• In addition to the social media ban, there will be a block on livestreaming and stranger communication with children under 16, which will extend to other services (like gaming sites).
• The government is looking at overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under 18s (more detail will follow on this in July).
• AI romantic companion chatbots will also be banned for under 18s.

What will be critical to the UK governments plan will be the need to ensure highly effective age assurance (an issue which law makers, industry and regulators are still very much grappling with) and strong enforcement from Ofcom. As such, Ofcom will conduct a rapid study on what is highly effective age assurance and the Secretary of State is asking for an urgent review of Ofcom’s enforcement capabilities.

In terms of timing, the government has indicated it wants to act quickly and, as such, these new laws could be in effect by Spring 2027 (by leveraging the new powers that have been brought in under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act). However, there has been quite a bit of criticism of the speed at which the UK government is looking to push this through meaning there is the potential for legal challenge and possibly delays to this timeline.