Refresh
Hello, and welcome to our liveblog on the UK’s landmark social media ban for under-16s.
We’ll be rounding up all of the latest news, reactions and more here today, but first a quick primer on what’s happened.
The UK announced the social media ban for under-16s this morning. The statement says that social media is “designed to be addictive” and that the restrictions will give mean “less time for scrolling and more time for play”.
The government says it will “use the same model for a social media ban as Australia” and that means the platforms will include Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. It won’t include private messaging apps likes of WhatsApp and Signal.
If it’s passed by Parliament later this year, the ban is expected to come into force from Spring 2027.


