UK to Introduce ‘Australia Plus’ Social Media Ban for Under-16s
Keir Starmer is set to announce sweeping restrictions on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X, implementing measures described as “Australia plus,” according to . This represents a significant policy shift that is more stringent than previously indicated, with the prime minister planning to ban teenagers under 16 from all major social media platforms.
Online products not covered by the ban, including gaming apps, will face new restrictions such as disabling the option to chat with strangers. Additional limitations will apply to older teenagers up to age 18, including restrictions on late-night scrolling.
Australia became the first country to implement a nationwide social media ban for children under 16 in December 2025. Children in Australia are restricted from accessing 10 major platforms: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, X, Threads, Snapchat, Twitch, and Kick. UK government sources have indicated that the UK ban will apply to a similar range of apps.
Government officials emphasized that the primary motivations behind these hardline measures are to protect teenagers from harmful addictive content, such as infinite scrolling, and to prevent contact with strangers online.
Under-18s will also be prohibited from accessing romantic or sexual AI chatbots.
“There are no half measures here,”a government source said.
The government may need to pass legislation to enforce the ban and maintain flexibility to adapt to emerging technologies, although the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act already grants some ministerial powers.
On Sunday, the government reported that nine out of ten parents supported setting a minimum age of 16 for accessing social media apps, based on responses to its “growing up in the online world” consultation.
Nearly 88% of respondents said fewer children would be exposed to inappropriate or harmful content, and almost two-thirds of young people who participated indicated that restricting high-risk features would enhance their online safety.
Alongside the blanket social media ban, Starmer is expected to announce restrictions on certain features for online products that may include gaming platforms and messaging apps such as WhatsApp, which may not be classified strictly as social media apps.
Potentially restricted features could include disappearing messages and location sharing. The prime minister recently announced new restrictions on sending nude images.
Senior government sources noted that Starmer, initially skeptical of social media bans, was persuaded by the consultation evidence.
“I think he originally worried that you can’t put the genie back in the bottle with these things,”one source said.
“But the weight of the evidence is there, which is quite overwhelming.”
Matthew Sinclair, senior UK director of the Computer and Communications Industry Association, an industry group, expressed concerns that blanket restrictions might limit access to age-appropriate experiences with proper parental controls, potentially encouraging children to seek riskier, unregulated alternatives.
Some tech industry insiders described the process of finalizing the ban as rushed and at times contradictory, speculating that the government was concerned about legal challenges related to procedural irregularities. However, several sources suggested it was unlikely that tech platforms would pursue immediate legal action following Monday’s announcement.
Questions remain about how the government will enforce age verification. Methods could include facial scans, personal identification, and banking information, many of which Ofcom already employs to enforce the Online Safety Act.
If platforms like Facebook and Instagram are banned for under-16s, they may be required to collect more extensive user information, including government-issued IDs, raising privacy concerns.
Thousands of teenagers in Australia reportedly circumvent existing age limits on social media.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy stated on Sunday that while social media restrictions are not a complete solution, they would better protect young people.
“It does mean that you … stop the situation where kids as young as eight, nine, 10, 11 are going on to social media sites because all of their friends are on them at an age when, frankly, they’re not really emotionally equipped to be able to cope with it.
“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.”
Some child safety campaigners have expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of a full ban, arguing that it might reduce incentives for tech companies to improve content safety. Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, described the ban as a
“gamble on an unenforceable social media ban that will quickly unravel.”
He added,
“It would fail to tackle fundamental product safety risks issues and leaves parents with a false sense of safety. A majority of children will continue to use high risk sites that will have no incentive to implement robust protections.”
Campaigners Urge Action on Social Media Restrictions
Campaigners have long urged the prime minister to enforce some form of social media ban to protect young users from harmful content and interactions.
