The U.K. plans to ban children from social media

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The prime minister of the U.K. has announced a sweeping social media ban for under-16s, following a similar ban imposed by Australia last year.

In the U.K., under-16s will be barred from using services including Facebook, X, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube. Personal messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal will still be permitted, however.

The U.K. government is also intending to introduce further restrictions, including:

• Considering overnight curfews and bans on infinite scrolling in social media apps for under-18s
• A ban on “romantic companion” chatbots for under-18s
• Blocks on “harmful functions” such as live streaming and communication with strangers for under-16s, potentially affecting gaming services

Prime minister Keir Starmer said the government hoped to have the legislation signed off before Christmas, with the new powers coming into effect in early 2027.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.