Starmer says UK will ban under-16s from major social media platforms by spring 2027

Keir Starmer has announced that the UK plans to ban under-16s from major social media platforms by spring 2027, setting out a timetable for one of the country’s biggest online safety interventions so far.

The plan, as reported by multiple outlets on Monday, would cover major platforms including TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal are reported to be exempt.

The policy is being framed by ministers as a child-safety measure rather than an anti-tech move, but it depends on age verification that can be enforced in practice. That leaves the government facing questions about how the rules would work and how platforms would be expected to check users’ ages.

Rollout timetable

Latest reporting says the ban is expected to take effect by spring 2027, though some accounts describe the start date more loosely as next spring or early 2027.

The timing matters because the policy is not yet fully set in legislation or technical detail. The government still has to turn the announcement into an enforceable framework, and the timetable appears to depend on that work staying on track.

Ofcom has been asked to design the age-verification enforcement plans, and one report says the regulator has been given until October 2026 to set out how the system should operate.

That makes Ofcom central to the rollout. The regulator is expected to define the practical rules around age checks, but the government has not yet fully specified whether those checks will be done at the device level, the app level or some combination of both.

What the ban would cover

The reported scope includes the biggest mainstream social platforms used by teenagers. The named services in reporting include Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.

Messaging apps are said to be outside the ban, with WhatsApp and Signal specifically reported as exempt. That distinction suggests ministers are aiming at public-facing social platforms rather than all forms of online communication.

The policy also sits within the wider framework of the Online Safety Act, under which online services already have duties to protect children. The new proposal would go further by drawing a sharper age line around access to major social media platforms.

Wider teen safety measures

The social media proposal is part of a broader package of restrictions under consideration for under-18s.

Reporting says ministers are also looking at limits on livestreaming and stranger messaging, along with tighter rules for some AI chatbot features.

One reported proposal would restrict AI “romantic companion” chatbots to users aged 18 and over. That would make the policy package broader than a social media age gate alone, extending into other types of youth-facing digital products.

Reaction and risks

Tech companies including Meta, YouTube and Snapchat have criticized blanket bans, arguing they could push teenagers toward less safe services rather than removing risk altogether.

That criticism points to a central policy problem: if the biggest platforms become harder to access, teens may shift to less regulated spaces instead of disappearing from social media entirely.

There are also privacy and enforcement concerns. The policy depends on reliable age verification, but any system that is strong enough to work at scale could raise questions about data collection, identity checks and how much personal information users will need to hand over.

Parents appear to be broadly supportive. Consultation reporting cited in the research says about 90% of parents backed a minimum age of 16 for social media access.

What happens next

The next material milestone is the Ofcom timetable, with one report indicating the regulator has until October 2026 to produce its age-verification design.

After that, the government will still need to settle the final legal and technical details, including which services are captured, how exemptions are defined and what enforcement will look like if platforms do not comply.

For now, the clearest confirmed point is the political direction of travel: the government wants under-16s off major social media platforms by spring 2027, and it is moving the enforcement question onto Ofcom.