UK Officially Announces Ban on Social Media for Children Under 16 Years Old

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer/DOK UK Prime Minister

JAKARTA - The British government has officially announced a ban on social media for children under 16 in the country.

This step follows other countries that have taken similar policies earlier such as Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and France.

In a recent press release from the official website of the British Government, which was published on Monday (15/6) local time, social media platforms that are blocked for children under the age of 16 include Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X with an effective implementation starting in the spring of 2027.

"This is the dividing line. The tech giants have had their chance and failed, but we are stepping in to protect children, support parents, and set a new norm for future generations," said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Furthermore, the method of banning social media carried out by the UK refers to the method that has been carried out by Australia.

More broadly, restrictions are imposed on user-to-user platforms whose main purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to re-upload material resulting from algorithm exploration.

Instant messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal are not included in this category. For other platforms such as e-commerce, music streaming services, and some platforms that are included in the limited exemption list will not be affected by this rule.

In addition, the UK also announced a ban on live broadcasts for all children under the age of 16 on any digital platform to close the involvement of foreign communications with children including on gaming sites.

There is also an obligation for developers of AI chatbots, especially those simulating sexual relationships or play roles, to impose a minimum age limit of 18 years.

The conversation function discussing intimate things or similar content will be restricted to users under the age of 18 on chatbotAI more broadly.

In addition to social media restrictions, Britain will conduct more detailed research on social media activity at night and restrictions on "infinite scrolling" or activity scrolling the screen endlessly with the target of completing the research in July 2026.

"Technology companies have a huge opportunity to keep children safe, but they are failing to act. That's why we are taking power from tech giants and putting it back in parents' hands," said UK Technology Minister Liz Kendall.