As Keir Starmer announced that under-16s are to be banned from social media, the government released some additional information about the ban on its website. It says the UK "plans to use the same model for a social media ban as Australia". Continuing, the statement says: "This would capture user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms. The ban will therefore include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. We do not intend for messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to be included in the social media ban."
After the statement from Keir Starmer, BBC Breakfast has been getting the reaction of bereaved families. Lisa Kenevan says her son Isaac, who died aged 13, has been her "driving force" as she campaigns. She said she feels the prime minister has been a "human being", who has tried to "actually understand how it's affected everybody". "Obviously on my personal journey, I've just been fighting for a long, long time," she says, adding she is pleased "to hear him actually have listened, collated information". While parents "wanted it a lot sooner", Lisa says "the reality is... it's going to take time, it's not going to be perfect". She adds: "We're in a good place now."
Before the prime minister made the social media ban announcement, BBC Breakfast was hearing from a panel of bereaved families and campaigners. Ellen Roome, mother of Jools, who she believes died after an online challenge, said she really hopes the announcement includes "really strong age verification" for platforms, and that it includes game sites as well. "I think all of us feel a bit wobbly" ahead of the PM's announcement, she says, calling it "so important". Esther Ghey, mother of murdered teenager Brianna, said this "massive turnaround" was due to the work of campaigners, but also those who filled in the online consultation. She said "parents need support", adding that campaigners have been saying it for "so long" and now have the "backing of parents across England".
Starmer is now taking questions from journalists gathered in Downing Street. The BBC's Zoe Kleinman asks when the ban will start, how it will work and what he'll do if one of the bigger platforms decides to leave the UK. Starmer says powers have been taken to ensure the government "can move at speed". "We hope to pass regulation before Christmas," he says, adding the ban will therefore come into place early next year.
Before moving on to questions Keir Starmer said: "I want this message to be heard loud and clear. I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen, and why this ban will happen." Starmer added "it won't be easy" and that some tech companies want people to think things are "unchangeable". "We have to resist that kind of learned helplessness," he said. "We have agency", Starmer said, adding that the government "can" and "will" change things. "Yes it's hard" to legislate for, regulate and enforce but that's why the government "listened to people" and learned from countries like Australia, he says, where a similar ban has already been introduced. "We're not just bringing forward a ban" but "going further" with "world-leading action" on gaming services and live streaming platforms, Starmer said. Changes will also tackle platforms which allow strangers to contact any child "unchecked", he added.
"In this world, with this technology, it is hard as a parent to know what to do", Starmer says. "I think most parents will welcome this", he adds. But he adds the government still believes it must "harness the power of technology to build a stronger, fairer Britain". The prime minister is now taking questions from journalists in Downing Street, and we'll bring you a few more lines from his speech in a moment.
Starmer says social media stops children from doing their homework, reading, playing with their friends, and going to bed at a decent hour. "That may not sound like much, but these are activities that help a child develop into an adult," he says. "To be honest, I feel for this generation," he adds. Thinking back to his own childhood, Starmer says children didn't have to deal with this type of technology that feeds into daily life.
Starmer continues, adding: "Social media is making children unhappy". He says platforms are "making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse" children, and says this could be harmful to people's mental health. It is "designed to be addictive" with features that "lock you in for hours", Starmer adds.
Starmer says a full ban is the right choice and came to the decision as a parent himself. "All I've ever wanted for my own children, hand on heart, is for them to be happy and for them to be safe, I think that's what any parent wants." He asks if it can be believed that social media creates a safe environment for children, "I don't think I even need to answer those questions do I?"
Starmer says he is not announcing the ban lightly, and recognises it is not "cost-free, as if social media has brought no benefits to young people". But government is about choices, he says, and "it's clear to me that a full ban is the right choice".
The prime minister has just announced that under-16s will be banned from social media. We'll bring you more updates in the next post.
We're now hearing from PM Keir Starmer at a press conference from Downing Street. He's expected to announce an under-16 social media ban across major platforms.
An hour-long special exploring the social media ban will begin at 08:00 BST on BBC Breakfast. We'll be hearing from bereaved families, campaigners and politicians, among others.
Sofia, aged 12 from Sunderland, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that it is "mostly the communication apps" like Snapchat that she's "worried" about losing. Asked how much of each day she spends on social media, she says: "Probably most of it." "I overall think that this ban isn't going to be very effective," says George, aged 14 from Cumbria. Asked whether the immediate thought from someone his age is how to get around it, he says: "Yes, definitely." Almost 15, George thinks people his age should be able to make their own choices because "we're beyond people saying what we have to do". When told apps like WhatsApp don't appear to be in scope, 15-year-old Lilly from Cumbria says other apps like TikTok allow her to "communicate more", for example by allowing her to post videos of her performing. Asked about how she protects herself when videos are out in the world, she says: "I feel like I'm old enough to sort it out myself", adding that the expected ban would be "stopping me from expressing myself freely".
In the prime minister's announcement later this morning, the government says he will set out measures that aim to protect future generations from online harm. It follows a consultation which saw more than 116,000 responses, including those from parents and young people. It says 90% of parents who responded backed a minimum age of 16 before anyone is able to access social media, with 85% saying the risk of social media outweigh the benefits.
Last December, Australia brought in a ban on social media for all under-16s, stopping children from using platforms like TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads. Following the introduction of the ban, under-16s are now not able to set up new accounts and their existing profiles were deactivated. Australia became the first country in the world to do this. So, how is the ban enforced? Children and parents aren't punished for breaking the rules. Instead, social media companies face fines of up to A$49.5m (US $32m, £25m) for serious or repeated breaches. The government says firms must take "reasonable steps" to keep children off their platforms, using several age assurance technologies. These could include government IDs, face or voice recognition, or "age inference", which analyses online behaviour to estimate a person's age. Platforms can't rely on users self-certifying or parents vouching for their children. As a reminder, Starmer says the UK would "go further" than Australia with additional measures including curfews for older teenagers and restrictions on AI chatbots.
The Sunday Times reported the prime minister was set to announce a ban covering the same 10 platforms now prohibited for under-16s in Australia: TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, but also YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, X, Threads, Facebook and Kick. It said the UK would "go further" than Australia with additional measures including curfews for older teenagers and restrictions on AI chatbots.
In a statement released on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Keir Starmer described online safety for children as "one of the biggest debates of our time". "As a dad, I know every parent wants their child to grow up safe and happy," the prime minister said, adding that the current status quo "isn't working". "People rightly expect action, and this government will always stand up for parents and put children first," he added. "That's why we will call time on a system that's failing our kids and take bold action to give every child the best possible start in life."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to ban under-16s from major social media platforms including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. Children will also stop being able to livestream on "safer" sites and stop being able to talk to strangers on gaming apps, the prime minister is set to announce. Ministers are considering whether to impose social media curfews for children, but further details will not be unveiled until next month. Australia introduced the world's first outright ban on social media for under-16s in December 2025 and Whitehall sources are describing the UK's scheme, to be unveiled by Starmer on Monday morning, as "Australia-plus". "This is a choice about whose side we're on: families across the country, or a status quo that isn't working," he has said. He added he would "call time on a system that's failing our kids".
