British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he would ban social media sites for under-16s and impose restrictions on gaming and live-streaming platforms. The sweeping changes would “give children back their childhood,” Starmer said, outlining measures against platforms including Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram, as well as gaming sites that allow strangers to communicate with children.
“It is clear to me that a complete ban is the right choice,” he said at a press conference.
“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, more freedom to grow up, more opportunities,” he added. Britain will use a similar model to Australia, which passed a ban last December, the government said. It will cover platforms that also include YouTube, Facebook and X, but messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal will not be included in the ban.
The government now has the powers to take the first steps in any ban, Starmer said, explaining that regulations will be approved by the end of the year and the full ban will come into effect around next spring.
Britain has increasingly tightened its approach to tech companies in recent years, urging or forcing them to impose age verification, tweak their algorithms and, most recently, preventing children from circulating nude images taken on mobile phones. But with growing awareness of the mental health risks posed by children spending too much time online, Starmer has decided to go further, after speaking to parents and reviewing evidence from Australia.