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12 June 2026The under-16 social media ban
What actually changes in spring 2027, and what to do now
Plain-English coverage of the UK's new rules, plus setup guides for the controls already on your family's devices. Written by a parent, not a marketing team.
Where the ban stands
- Mar–May 2026
National consultation
"Growing up in the online world" draws over 116,000 responses; the government says 9 in 10 parents back a ban.
- 15 Jun 2026
Ban announced
Under-16s to be blocked from social media, using powers in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act.
- Jul–Oct 2026 · now
Ofcom studies age checks
A rapid study on what counts as effective age assurance for 16, reporting by the end of October.
- Late 2026
Regulations before Parliament
The first regulations are expected before Christmas.
- Spring 2027
Ban takes effect
Platforms must keep under-16s off or face fines of up to 10% of worldwide revenue.
Latest ban news
All news →12 September 2026
The Netherlands and Spain want one minimum age for social media across the EU
A joint paper sent to Brussels on 11 September asks for an EU-wide law, and for regulators to judge whether a platform is safe for children, not just who may hold an account.
12 September 2026
California has banned the algorithm for under-16s, not the account
Newsom signed AB 1709 on 10 September. Children keep their profiles, but the recommended feed and autoplay have to come off.
11 September 2026
Australia’s regulator has been given the document powers it said it needed
Fines behind the under-16 ban doubled to A$109.2 million, and eSafety can now demand documents from app stores and age-check firms.
10 September 2026
Platforms have until 30 September to switch on deepfake nude detection
Ofcom has opened an enforcement programme with a date on it, and fines of up to 10% of global revenue behind it.
9 September 2026
Australia would give every user over 16 an off switch for the algorithm
Draft duty-of-care laws treat the age ban as the first layer, and the feed choice is one thing the UK list does not have.
8 September 2026
The government will legislate to make phones themselves block nude images for children
Apple and Google were given three months to volunteer. Ministers have read their answers and decided to write a law instead.
3 September 2026
Meta’s US settlement gives parents the switch the UK gives teenagers
A midnight–6am block for under-18s that only a parent can lift: same platforms, same hours, opposite lock.
31 August 2026
Ofcom tells platforms the ban does not put their current duties on hold
The rules protecting children now are unchanged by a ban that starts in 2027, and nine risky sites have just shut UK children out.
25 August 2026
Australia’s regulator says it cannot prove a breach without the platforms’ own documents
A Senate committee backed doubling the maximum fine to A$109.2 million. Children still holding accounts is not, by itself, evidence of anything.
24 August 2026
New Zealand’s under-16 bill is built like the UK’s, not France’s
Platform duties, a 10% global revenue penalty and messaging apps out of scope: the design the UK picked, now copied.
17 August 2026
France’s under-15 ban struck down two weeks before it was due to start
A blanket ban goes too far on freedom of expression, France’s Constitutional Council ruled, and the age checks had no privacy safeguards.
10 August 2026
Nearly 85% of older teens say they will switch the overnight curfew off
A Censuswide poll of 1,000 teenagers puts a number on the government’s bet that defaults are sticky.
4 August 2026
Three months into Australia’s ban, 81.5% of children were still using social media
The regulator surveyed the same 803 children before and after. Account ownership fell 10 points; use fell four.
22 July 2026
Ofcom is investigating TikTok over the age checks the ban will rely on
The first formal test of whether a social media app can tell which of its users are children: the question the under-16 ban turns on.
16 July 2026
Midnight to 6am: the voluntary social media curfew for older teens
Default overnight lockouts and autoplay switched off for 16- and 17-year-olds, but they can turn it all back on.
30 June 2026
Six months into Australia’s ban, the lesson for UK parents is patience
4.7 million under-16 accounts removed, and new legislation because children are still getting through.
17 June 2026
What the ban means for WhatsApp: probably nothing
Messaging apps are out of scope. YouTube isn’t. Here’s the line the government drew.
15 June 2026
Under-16 social media ban announced: what was actually said
Regulations before Christmas, enforcement from spring 2027, and fines of up to 10% of worldwide revenue.
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The ban
How the under-16 age checks will work
The methods Ofcom is weighing up, and what each costs in privacy.
21 July 2026Who makes this site
A UK parent, not a marketing team. No ads and no sponsored links while we build:how this site works.