The UK Social Media Ban: What Happens Next?
June saw the biggest change to UK social media laws since the Online Saftey Act in 2023, when former Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, announced a social media ban for under 16s which will come into effect into 2027.
What has been decided?
Social media platforms TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and X are all included in the ban and are required to block access for under 16-year-olds between midnight and 6am.
Restrictions also extend to certain social features, such as personalised feeds, livestreaming, and strangers being able to contact children within games on platforms such as Roblox. There will be limits on features such as infinite scrolling and restrictions on access to certain AI chatbot experiences, including AI romantic companions.
Apps that are not included in the ban are:
- Signal
- YouTube Kids (the child-safe version of the platform)
The government is also considering an overnight curfew and measures to stop infinite scrolling for under 16s.
Aussie influence
Leading the way for other nations to make the internet a safer space for children, Australia was the first country in the world to ban social media for children under 16 in 2025. The UK government has stated that it will closely follow Australia's model, and its approach will go further, describing its own policy as "Australia Plus".
However, a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) surveyed 746 Australian teenagers and found that only 1 in 4 (25%) of 14–15-year-olds are actually complying with the ban. The majority continue to access banned platforms through workarounds. So, will this ban be more effective in the UK?
What this means for brands
Brands play a key role in protecting children, not just social media platforms. If children are pushed into less regulated spaces on the internet, brands risk unintentionally interacting with them where there are less safeguards and regulations. This means that responsible targeting and content governance are more important than ever.
With algorithmic recommendations enforced, gaming becomes one of the most powerful ways left for the younger generation to communicate. Roblox, Fortnite Creative and Minecraft still bring environments where brands can design skill-based experiences instead of social-led engagement and use gaming as a storytelling channel with brand-themed adventures.
There’s also likely going to be a rise in Disney+ and Netflix Kids advertising and other high-trust environments where Gen Alpha spends their time. YouTube Kids will also remain one of the few algorithmic discovery channels available to under 16s. We can predict to see kid-focused content creators flock to YouTube Kids, but YouTube won’t allow paid product endorsement that allows the user to click through to an external site. However, it will allow valuable and educational content that meets regulations.
With limitations in place, this means that parents have more control over youth culture and to reach the younger generation, brands need to earn parental trust in their social presence.
How can marketing teams prepare
Marketing teams need full awareness of the current child audience for their organic and paid campaigns across platforms. They might completely rely on Gen Alpha attention for some content, even when they didn't intentionally target this audience.
Keeping on top of any new announcements and alterations to regulations regarding the social media ban will be crucial. There have been no announcements on how each social media platform will enforce age verification yet, so each app may act differently whether it be facial recognition for age estimation, ID checks, or something else.