The UK’s incoming social media ban for under-16s will be a blow to sports rights holders and wider marketing strategies, experts have warned.

The government on Monday announced that there will be a ban on social media for those aged 16 and under from next year – covering the likes of X, TikTok, Twitch and YouTube – while a curfew will limit access for those between 16 and 18.

It comes as a growing number of sports organisations, from Fifa and Uefa to league and clubs, have turned to social media to try to reach younger audiences. 

Influencers such as Mark Goldbridge have used YouTube to amass huge followings and encourage engagement with sports content. The Goldbridge empire was acquired by Gary Neville’s The Overlap network in April. 

Professor Rob Wilson told City AM: “A social media ban is unlikely to stop Gen Z following football, but it could fundamentally change how the next generation of fans is reached.

“For creator-led brands such as Mark Goldbridge and fan media platforms like The United Stand, the real risk is now the rising customer acquisition costs as advertisers lose the ability to target teenagers directly.

“That shift could expose whether investor expectations have overestimated the ease and economics of acquiring young fans, putting pressure on valuations built around rapid audience growth and low-cost social distribution.”

A YouTube spokesperson said the incoming legislation could “push kids out of curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less safe services”. 

This year’s Fifa World Cup is the first where matches are being broadcast on TikTok and YouTube, while more football clubs are using the platforms to broadcast pre-season friendlies and spread specialist content to teen audiences.

Multiple sports clubs have told City AM that the changes will result in a shift in approach to their marketing and social media strategy.

But it is a win for Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger group in the battle with fellow former footballer Neville, with Lineker’s podcast broadcast on Netflix daily throughout the World Cup.