UK to Ban Social Media for Under-16s, AI “Romantic Companion” Chatbots for Under-18s
“Children will be given back their childhoods,” with less time for scrolling and more time for play,” Keir Starmer’s government promises.
The social media ban for children under the age of 16 in the U.K. is official, with legislation to be finalized forvformal launch in 2027.
Prime Minister and Labour Party chief Keir Starmer unveiled landmark legislation on Monday, which will make X, Facebook, YouTube, SnapChat and TikTok unavailable to under-16s in a move that follows the lead of Australia, where such ban was launched last year.
Not covered are messaging services, such as WhatsApp.
The government said that the ban will formally launch by spring 2027 once legislation is finalized.
Promising “action,” the U.K. government said on Monday: “Children will be given back their childhoods,” with “less time for scrolling and more time for play. The plans will set a new normal for future generations, kickstarting a cultural shift and driving forward the government’s fight to give every child the best start in life.”
The goal is to “capture user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms.”
Media regulator Ofcom, which is tasked with working out details, said: “So far, Ofcom has driven some of the strongest changes of any online safety regulation in the world, from widespread age checks to grooming protections for children. But the industry needs to go much further to make people safe. The Government has entrusted us to build on this progress with new measures to protect children, and we’re ready to work closely with them as the detailed regulations take shape.”
And he concluded: “This is a line in the sand. Tech giants had their chance and failed, but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations.”
The government also highlighted the rise of “so-called A ‘romantic companion’ chatbots – designed to simulate sexual relationships or roleplay with users” that will “have to enforce a minimum age of 18.
Similar intimate functionalities will be restricted for under-18s on AI chatbots more widely.”
U.K. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Today we take a bold and significant step towards creating a safer, healthier life online for our children and future generations.”
“Taken together, these measures will mean a much more comprehensive model than just a blanket ban on social media — one that responds to how children experience harm online, rather than just where it happens.”
