From 2027: UK to restrict access for children under 16 to social media

From the "spring of 2027" in the territory of "Great Britain", a ban on access to social media for children under the age of "16 years" will come into effect. This decision was officially announced by "Prime Minister Keir Starmer" during a press conference, the live broadcast of which was aired by the TV channel "Sky News".

According to Starmer, the decision was not easy, but he is convinced that in the current situation, a "tough move" is exactly what is needed. The main goal of the measures, he emphasized, is the "protection of children". "Many social networks are designed to hold attention and create addiction," the Prime Minister pointed out, adding that this makes children "less happy", facilitates "bullying and harassment", and can seriously harm their "mental health".

In the official statement by the British government, it is clarified that the "Australian approach" was used as a model. In "Australia", such a ban has been in effect since "December 2025" and covers a number of major platforms, including "Facebook", "Instagram" (banned in Russia; owned by the corporation "Meta", recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation), "Kick", "Reddit", "Snapchat", "Threads", "TikTok", "Twitch", "X", and "YouTube".

According to Australian rules, the primary responsibility lies with the technology companies themselves. If they do not take "all possible measures" to close or deactivate "accounts of minors", they may face fines of up to "49.5 million Australian dollars". Since the introduction of the law, authorities in Australia have deactivated "at least 4.7 million accounts" of children and teenagers.

The size and structure of the "sanctions" that will be applied in the "UK" in case of violation of the new rules have not yet been specified. It is explicitly stated that the ban will not cover "messengers" such as "WhatsApp" (also owned by "Meta", recognized as extremist and banned in Russia).

A separate point addresses the topic of communicating with "chatbots". It is planned that their use for "romantic conversations" will be permitted only for persons who have reached "18 years of age". For younger users, restrictive regimes will apply to prevent possible abuse and psychological risks associated with this type of interaction.