Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that social media will be banned for under-16s in the UK.
The decision is a landmark move from the Labour Party leader, and follows in the footsteps of what Australia did at the end of last year – when it introduced the world-first social media ban for children under 16 in December, under the Online Safety Amendment Act.
While Australia’s ruling banned 10 major platforms for under-16s, including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X, the UK announcement takes things further.
As well as the 10 platforms that Australia has banned, the UK framework also bans young people from using livestreaming features across all apps and gaming platforms. It also blocks any ways that strangers can message minors in gaming, and prohibits under-18s from using AI chatbots.
Additionally, while teenagers in Australia gain full, unrestricted access to social media once they turn 16, in the UK there will be more of a gradual introduction – with overnight scrolling curfews for 16 and 17 year olds, and features still there to limit them from receiving direct messages from strangers.
Social Media will officially be banned for children under the age of 16 in the UK, Keir Starmer announces. pic.twitter.com/3zPYcJfEm2
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 15, 2026
“Social media is making children unhappy, it’s making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health,” Starmer said.
“This is not something I do lightly, and I will not present it as cost-free, as if social media has [brought zero] benefits to young people, because clearly that is wrong… But the government is always about choices, and it’s clear to me that a total ban is the right choice.”
He added in a speech at Downing Street that the move will make the country “better for their children” and give them more of “a fair chance”, and later confirmed that the government is aiming to pass legislation by the end of the year – meaning that the ban would come into force by spring 2027.
Starmer went on to thank campaigners who helped instigate the legislation – many of which from parents who had lost children – and addressed concerns that teenagers will simply try to work around the restrictions.
“We don’t say, ‘Oh, look, a teenager managed to get a drink somehow, so let’s not bother banning alcohol sales for children.’ We don’t do that, do we?” he said.
We are banning social media access for under 16s.
These days kids must find their feet in a world where technology intrudes into every area of their life.
I just can’t let that go on anymore. So we’re giving children their childhoods back. pic.twitter.com/jn7iQrcwk8
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 15, 2026
“I just don’t accept that. Our laws are rules, but they’re also an expression of our values. They shape the social contract, and so this will change the conversations that parents have, and the expectations of children over time.
“It will make a huge difference. It will make our children safer. It will make our children happier. It will give them more time, more security, full freedom to grow up, more opportunity, and that, at the end of the day, is what this government is about.”
Making the announcement in front of an audience, Starmer said that the decision was made as he is “not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children”, and added that while it will be “hard to” legislate, regulate and enforce, the government have “looked carefully at the evidence [and] learned from countries like Australia that are taking similar steps”.
The PM also argued that the decision does not indicate that he is opposed to AI and technology generally, sharing: “I do not accept, and I will never accept that you can’t be both pro tech and AI, and at the same time say we must protect our children. I’m never going to accept the argument that for the future of AI and tech, we must leave our children exposed in the way that they have been, or they might be in the future.”
On X, he condensed the stance down in a new video, telling viewers that the decision is “a big step for our country,” and “not an easy thing to do”.
Of potential backlash, he added: “It’s fair to say that this decision has been resisted, and it will face resistance from some of the most powerful companies in the world. But we will take them one and we will win, because the need for action could not be any clearer. Social media is making our children unhappy and unsafe.”
BREAKING: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a social media ban for under-16s.
Live updates: https://t.co/Jxi67uC5Qk pic.twitter.com/VnIFMyjAhs
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 15, 2026
Last year, Starmer spoke to NME about the impact of artificial intelligence and technology on the music business – in light of artists like Elton John, Coldplay and Dua Lipa calling on the UK government to change copyright laws to combat the tech as it progresses rapidly.
“It’s very important we protect creativity, and we’re brilliant at creativity in this country – we punch well above our weight within the country and globally, and we’re all very proud of that,” the PM told us.
“We need to get the balance right. That’s why we did a long and important consultation, and we’re going through the responses of that consultation now. So it is a question of getting the balance right. But I’m acutely aware of the need to protect creativity in the United Kingdom. We’re very, very good at it, and we should be proud of it and protect it.”