Under-16 social media ban announced: what was actually said
The announcement, without the noise: what's in scope, the timeline, and the questions it left open.
The government confirmed on 15 June that social media will be banned for under-16s, using powers already on the statute book through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act. The first regulations are due before Parliament by Christmas, with the ban expected to be in force by spring 2027. Ofcom will enforce it, with fines of up to 10% of a platform's worldwide revenue and the possibility of blocking for persistent offenders.
The named platforms are the ones you'd expect: Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. Messaging apps (WhatsApp and Signal) are out, along with YouTube Kids, education services, shopping and music streaming. The government calls its approach "Australia plus": alongside the account ban, under-16s will be blocked from livestreaming on any platform, restrictions on contact from strangers will extend to gaming services, and AI "romantic companion" chatbots get a minimum age of 18.
The duty falls entirely on the platforms. There's no penalty for families if a child slips through, and nothing parents are required to do.
Two big questions were left open. How platforms must check ages is now the subject of a rapid Ofcom study reporting by the end of October. Our age-checks explainer covers the methods in contention. And what happens to existing under-16 accounts (deleted, deactivated, restored at 16?) wasn't addressed at all; the regulations will have to settle it.
The announcement followed the "Growing up in the online world" consultation, which ran from March to May and drew more than 116,000 responses. The government says 9 in 10 parents support the move.
Nothing changes this year. The genuinely useful preparation is a conversation with your child about what spring 2027 might mean for their accounts, and getting the free controls on their devices set up properly in the meantime.