The UK government has announced plans to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms, with new regulations expected before the end of this year and enforcement set to begin in spring 2027.
Under the proposed rules, social media companies will be required to verify the age of new users before allowing them to create accounts.
In practice, this means anyone opening a new account in the UK may need to prove they are over 16 by uploading a government-issued ID or completing a facial age scan. Similar age verification measures have already been introduced for adult websites under the UK’s Online Safety Act.
The government said existing accounts are expected to be largely exempt from the new requirements. However, users creating new accounts after the rules take effect will likely need to complete age checks, making anonymous account creation significantly more difficult.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the policy on June 15 following a national consultation that received more than 116,000 responses from parents, children and experts.
According to the government, nine out of 10 parents supported restricting social media access for children under 16, while around two-thirds of young people agreed that some platforms should be off-limits for younger users.
The ban will apply to social media services that enable user interaction through algorithmic feeds, including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and X.
Messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal will be exempt, along with YouTube Kids and certain educational, e-commerce and music streaming services.
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