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The UK's under-16 social media ban: what Australia's first months show
Alastair Greener FPSA
Generational communication expert, author and President of the PSA UK and Ireland 2026
The UK decided on 15 June 2026 to ban social media for under-16s, with protections expected in spring 2027. Australia's ban gives the first evidence: three months after it began in December 2025, eSafety found the share of under-16s with an account had fallen from 52.4% to 42.1%, while 81.5% still used the platforms. The law will change the rules, and families will still need to talk them through.
Children under 16 in the UK are expected to be barred from social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube from spring 2027, under plans the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology announced on 15 June 2026. Australia's similar ban, in force since December 2025, offers the first evidence. Three months in, Australia's online safety regulator, eSafety, found that the share of under-16s with a social media account had fallen from 52.4% to 42.1%, while 81.5% still used the platforms.
Fewer accounts, then, but not much less use. The conversation at home still matters.
What has the UK decided about social media for under-16s?
The government's announcement of 15 June 2026 said the ban will include "platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X". Under-16s will also be barred from livestreaming themselves, and ways for strangers to contact children will be restricted, including on gaming services.
According to the House of Commons Library's briefing of 10 September 2026, the government was aiming to lay the regulations before Parliament by the end of 2026, so as of September 2026 the details were not final. Ofcom promised Parliament a rapid assessment of how highly effective age checks could work by the end of October 2026.
What will under-16s still be able to use?
The government said it does not intend messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal to be included. That leaves open the channel the generations share most. In our 2024 survey of 4,067 people, 80% of all respondents used WhatsApp, and 60% of Gen Alpha, then aged 8 to 12, used it to communicate.
Multiplayer games stay open too, which matters because 72% of Gen Alpha in our survey communicate through online games or virtual worlds. And the ban covers platforms, so phones stay: 82% of the under-16s in our survey already had a mobile phone of their own.
Older teenagers keep their accounts, and the June announcement said these restrictions will be "on by default for 16- and 17-year-olds to prevent a cliff-edge at 16." A second announcement on 15 July 2026 added default overnight curfews from midnight to 6am for 16 and 17 year olds on social media apps, with autoplay and personalised feeds switched off by default, though teenagers will be able "to change their own settings if they wish".
What happened in Australia's first three months?
Australia's rules took effect on 10 December 2025. eSafety is following more than 4,000 children and families for two years with Stanford University's Social Media Lab, and published its first findings on 31 July 2026, from data collected in March.
The share of under-16s with an account fell from 52.4% to 42.1%, which eSafety called "a modest but statistically significant decline". Use of the platforms, with or without an account, fell less, from 85.9% to 81.5%. Most children who had accounts kept them or opened new ones, and eSafety cited platforms' "failure to implement effective age assurance measures" as the main reason. ABC News reported that around half of those who kept accounts said the platforms had not checked their age.
- Had a social media account
- Used the platforms
Source: eSafety, published 31 July 2026
There were gains. eSafety found that the share of children who felt they were missing out by not having social media fell from 43.3% to 36.3%, and parents reported feeling less pressure. A small proportion of children found it harder to communicate, while others reported improved relationships.
The finding every family should note is that, according to eSafety's evaluation, "parental awareness of children's social media use in some cohorts, particularly amongst girls and children aged 10 to 12, has declined." A child still on a banned platform has a reason to keep quiet about it. eSafety says this "highlights the importance of continuing open dialogue within families", and that after three months it is "too early to meaningfully assess" whether the intended outcomes have been achieved.
Do parents and young people want a ban?
Most parents do. In research for DSIT by Savanta, published on 15 July 2026, 76% of parents agreed that social media should have a minimum age of 16. Among young people aged 10 to 21, 29% supported a full ban for under-16s and 48% said under-16s should be allowed on some platforms but not others. Both groups were recruited to be representative. The government's "9 in 10 parents" figure came from the public consultation, a self-selecting group.
The report found that parents "mostly focus on the protective benefits", while young people focus on "the practical problems: most children would still get access". Australia's data give each side a point: use fell only slightly, and the pressure to be online eased.
Writing on LinkedIn in November 2025, before the UK decision, Alastair argued that every generation faces its "we should have acted sooner" moment, that social media was the latest, and that the UK could still act by following Australia's lead. The site's view is that a ban changes what children can reach, and the reasons they turn to their screens still need talking through at home.
How can parents and grandparents talk about the ban?
Start before the ban takes effect. Explain which apps are affected, that WhatsApp is not, and why the change is happening. Children who first hear about it from friends may hear the most alarming version.
Ask what they would miss. It might be friends who only talk on Snapchat, a creator they follow or the chat inside a game. Agree together where those friendships will carry on, whether that is a WhatsApp group, the park or a club.
Keep the door open. Make it clear that a child who has kept an account, or found a way round the rules, can still tell you when something goes wrong without being punished for it.
Treat the defaults as a conversation about sleep. In the government's pilot with more than 300 teenagers and parents, families said the curfews "quickly became part of their routine and helped improve sleep and concentration". Agree the setting with your 16 year old so that it belongs to them.
Give grandparents a part. A grandparent who asks to see a child's games and apps, and listens without a lecture, is one more adult the child can go to. Alastair's advice holds for every generation: ask people how they like to communicate, and do not assume by age. Our guide to Generation Alpha shows how the generation most affected communicates now.
Set the example. Screen-free time at home should include the grown-ups.
Mark Saxby, founder of Positive Social, discussed peer pressure and young people's social media habits in social media and its intergenerational impact, and Paddy Crump of the youth-led organisation Flip Gen talked about digital safety policy in Gen Z, digital wellbeing and entering the workplace.
Frequently asked questions
When does the UK social media ban for under-16s start?
The government said on 15 June 2026 that regulations would go to Parliament before Christmas 2026, with protections expected in spring 2027. As of September 2026 they had not been laid, so the date and details were not fixed. The ban will cover platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Is WhatsApp included in the under-16 ban?
No. The government said on 15 June 2026 that it does not intend messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal to be included. Under-16s will be barred from livestreaming themselves and contact from strangers will be restricted, including on gaming services, though children will still be able to play multiplayer games online.
Has Australia's under-16 social media ban worked?
Australia's eSafety regulator says it is too early to judge. Three months after the ban began in December 2025, the share of under-16s with an account had fallen from 52.4% to 42.1%, but 81.5% still used the platforms. Most who had accounts kept them or opened new ones, mainly because platforms' age checks were not effective.
What changes for 16 and 17 year olds?
They keep their accounts, with protections on by default. Limits on livestreaming and contact from strangers will apply by default, and on 15 July 2026 the government said overnight curfews from midnight to 6am will be switched on by default, with autoplay and personalised feeds off. Teenagers will be able to change their own settings.
Hear conversations about growing up online, parenting and technology on the Generationally Speaking podcast, with guests aged from 15 to 90.
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