LONDON — The U.K. government announced a ban on social media use for children under 16 slated to take effect in spring 2027. This regulation will require platforms to verify user ages using government identification, credit cards, or facial recognition scans.

The ban applies to social media services including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and X. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal are exempt from the new policy. Adults with accounts open longer than 16 years, attached credit cards, or linked to age-verified emails will not need to complete new verification checks.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, "Social media is making our children unhappy and unsafe. And as a parent as much as a prime minister, I just can't let that go on anymore, because our children deserve better."

The policy extends to other online services, requiring AI romantic companion chatbots to enforce an 18-year age minimum. Intimate functionalities within these chatbots will be restricted for users under 18. Additionally, stranger-contact and livestreaming restrictions will be enabled by default for users aged 16 and 17.

Elon Musk wrote on X, "The real goal is to enable the UK government to track everyone." Former constitutional lawyer Glenn Greenwald said, "The defense of these laws is emotionally powerful by appealing to child protection, but the real goal is online surveillance, an end to anonymity, and control over political content that young people can access." The policy models Australian legislation that restricted under-16 social media access in December 2025.