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.
The penalties were left open. Asked in the Commons that day, the Technology Secretary pointed to the Online Safety Act's existing powers, fines of up to 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue and court-ordered blocking for companies that repeatedly refuse to obey the law, but said "We have not finalised the fines and consequences". The law allows the regulations to apply that enforcement regime to the ban; whether they do is for the regulations to decide.
The named platforms are the ones you'd expect: Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. Messaging apps (WhatsApp and Signal) are out, and a narrow list of exemptions will cover education services, shopping and music streaming. The Technology Secretary calls the approach "Australia plus 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.