Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to end what he calls a system “failing our kids” as the government prepares to announce a landmark social media crackdown.
Under-16s are set to be banned from accessing high-risk social media apps, with safer platforms also facing a range of strict new restrictions under the plans.
Ministers will outline which specific platforms face a full ban at a later date, with the announcement expected to follow Australia’s lead on minimum age requirements.
Australia recently raised its minimum age to 16 on platforms including Instagram, X and TikTok, and the UK’s measures are expected to go even further in some respects.
Under-18s are also expected to be banned from accessing romantic or sexual AI chatbots, following a government consultation on keeping children safe online.
Even on platforms deemed “safe,” under-16s would be prohibited from receiving disappearing messages, chatting with adult strangers, or using livestreaming features.
Starmer said: “How we keep kids safe online is one of the biggest debates of our time. As a dad, I know every parent wants their child to grow up safe and happy.”
He added: “That’s why we will call time on a system that’s failing our kids and take bold action to give every child the best possible start in life.”
The government’s response follows a consultation that received over 116,000 responses from parents, industry figures, and young people, closing just weeks before Monday’s announcement.
Nine out of ten respondents backed a blanket social media ban for under-16s, while over 83 per cent said the risks of social media outweighed the benefits.
The move also follows Starmer issuing a three-month ultimatum to Apple and Google last week to make it technologically impossible for children to share or view intimate images online.
Speaking at London Tech Week, Starmer said: “I reject that completely because tech should adapt to the needs of society, not the other way around.”
He called on tech companies to introduce controls preventing children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images, warning that legislation would follow if firms failed to act voluntarily.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy confirmed the government’s consultation was framed around “how we better protect young people online, not if we do so.”
Nandy said: “That came through not just from parents and from campaigners, it did also come through from many young people themselves who are feeling that they’re being pulled into something quite toxic at a very young age.”
She cautioned that a social media ban alone is not “the silver bullet solution” but argued it should form part of a “basket of measures” protecting children online.
Nandy said: “I don’t think banning social media on its own is the silver bullet solution, but I do think Australia has shown very clearly that it has a significant role to play.”
She signalled the UK could impose more stringent age verification requirements than Australia, where concerns have grown that some under-16s bypassed the ban using VPNs or false dates of birth.
Nandy added: “The experience in Australia showed part of the reason why it has been difficult for them to enforce it is because there weren’t very tough age verification measures.”