UK government announces under-16 social media ban (Spring 2027 target)
GOV.UK fact sheet sets out a planned under-16 social media ban modelled on Australia, with Spring 2027 implementation and gaming livestream/stranger-contact restrictions for under-16s.
The UK government’s fact sheet on new rules to protect children online records a plan to ban social media for under-16s, using a model similar to Australia’s (platforms named as examples: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and X). Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal are not intended to be included.
Timing and related duties
The fact sheet states the first set of Regulations will be laid before the end of the year, with changes implemented in Spring 2027. High-risk features including livestreaming and strangers contacting children will also be restricted for under-16s on other online services like gaming, backed by stronger age-check requirements. For 16- and 17-year-olds, livestreaming and stranger communication (including in gaming) are to be switched off by default; overnight curfews (midnight–6am), notification switches, and default-off autoplay/personalised feeds are described for the same social platforms covered by the under-16 ban.
Parents and children “do not need to do anything right now”; further detail is promised ahead of 2027. Ofcom is to set out age-assurance options.
Operator action
| Field | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Announcement vehicle | GOV.UK fact sheet |
| Under-16 social media | Planned ban (Australia-style platform set) |
| Messaging carve-out | WhatsApp/Signal not intended in ban |
| Gaming-related | Livestream / stranger-contact restrictions for under-16s |
| Target implementation | Spring 2027 |
| Status | Policy announcement; Regulations still to be laid |
| UA implication | From Spring 2027, under-16 reach on named social UA channels is expected to fall; gaming services should plan for livestream and stranger-contact defaults |
This is not yet a finished statutory instrument. Do not invent which game UGC platforms are in or out of the social-media definition until the Regulations define them.
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