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The UK government has announced plans to ban social media access for under-16s to help keep children and young people safer online. The ban will cover platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. Additional restrictions will include blocks on live streaming and strangers communicating with children under 16. In addition, the government have asked Ofcom to conduct a rapid study on effective age assurance and to review their enforcement capabilities, with a clear enforcement strategy to be published as soon as possible. Findings from the government’s ‘Growing up in the online world’ consultation have also been published. The consultation ran from March to May 2026.
Read the press release: Social media to be banned for under-16s in landmark government move to give kids their childhood back
Find out more about the consultation outcomes: Growing up in the online world: a national consultation