UK Bans Under-16s From 4 Social Platforms as 19 U.S. States Tighten Access

3 articles · Updated · Fortune · Jun 21

Legislation announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer would block UK under-16s from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and X, go to Parliament before Christmas, and take effect in early 2027.
Starmer called social media “addictive by design” and said it is contributing to children’s unhappiness, while the plan relies on age verification at the device level rather than repeated ID checks on each app.
TikTok and Meta said they support teen safety but argued bans could isolate young users and push them toward unregulated services; YouTube did not respond.
Australia has already enacted a national minors ban, France and Spain are moving similarly, and 19 U.S. states have passed youth social-media restrictions, including 8 with bans or parental-consent rules.
Zigazoo, a child-focused platform with more than 12 million users, is positioning itself as a compliant alternative, though critics including Brookings and Unicef question whether bans are effective or civil-liberties safe.