Social media

England mulls ban on social media for under 16s

Measures expected to be passed by spring 2027
Life
Image: CSO Online

16 June 2026

The English government has drawn a line in the sand: no more social media and live streams for children up to 16. Parents are getting back control over their responsibilities, argues Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“Children are getting their childhood back. Less time for scrolling, more for playing”, is the resounding message from London. Access to all social media, with the exception of WhatsApp and Signal, will be banned.

In a year’s time, no English child will have access to Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, gaming sites or X. Children up to 18 will be subject to the same ban, but they will be able to deactivate it.

 

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The law must be adopted before Christmas and come into effect in the spring of 2027.

Communication regulator Ofcom is immediately starting an investigation into how ages can best be checked at the gates of the platforms.

The new law is probably the strictest law in the world. Its aim is clear and unambiguous: to protect English youngsters from harmful content and contact with strangers.

Lisa Nandy, Minister of State for Culture, said: “Tech companies have had more than enough time and are doing nothing, so we are stepping in.” The English government has indeed been clear about its views. It says that its colleagues in the cabinet are drawing lessons from the introduction of a similar law in Australia. Children avoided age checks and were not guided towards alternative ways of spending their time. She speaks of ‘enrichment initiatives’ and cites youth centres as an example.

The new law is implicitly a harsh disqualification of the behaviour of millions of English parents. They have let it come to the point where the government has to intervene in the upbringing of their offspring.

In response to the social media ban, it can be expected that children will start installing VPNs en masse. Other tricks that the British can see in Australia: entering a false date of birth, using accounts of older brothers/sisters or of the parents, exploiting errors in facial or ID verification, or switching to alternative apps with less strict age checks.

England is showing itself to be far more decisive than the European Union. On the continent the same sentiments exist among parents, institutions and politicians. So far, this has not resulted in transnational legislation.

Social media bans around Europe, where are we now?

Country / level
Legal status
Minimum age / rule
Status of legislation

France

  • Bill / parliamentary approval at first reading; not yet definitively in force
  • Ban on social media under 15
  • Advanced, but not yet fully in force

Denmark

  • Political agreement / announced national minimum; legislation still to be drafted
  • Ban for under 15, with possible parental consent from 13
  • Announced, not yet implemented

Spain

  • Government proposal / announced legislative amendment
  • Ban for under 16
  • Proposal in legislative process

Greece

  • Preparation of national legislation
  • Minimum age 15
  • In preparation

Portugal

  • Bill / national proposals
  • Parental consent under 16
  • Proposal / debate phase

Slovenia

  • Draft legislation
  • Ban under 15
  • Draft in preparation

Austria

  • Political exploration/announced plans
  • Considering a ban under 14
  • No law yet

Norway

  • Legislative proposal / preparatory stage
  • Moving towards minimum age 15
  • Preparatory

Netherlands

  • Policy line / cabinet advice, no national ban law
  • Advice to use social media only from 15 onwards; messaging services from 13
  • No legal ban; there is a national guideline and political debate on stricter rules

Germany

  • No national ban law yet; research/policy under development
  • There is no under-16 ban yet; the CDU has adopted a motion for a minimum of 14
  • Research and political debate, no ban in force

Italy

  • Existing national age rule via digital consent; no general social media ban
  • Digital consent from 14; social media under that age requires parental consent
  • No ban, but an existing consent rule from the privacy framework

European Parliament / EU level

  • Non-binding resolution; no legislative ban
  • Proposal for an EU-wide minimum age of 16 for social media, video sharing and AI companions; 13–16 with parental consent
  • Political signal, not legally binding

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