Social Media Ban for Under 16s Possible
“social media might get banned for under 16's”
Summary
The UK government is preparing to ban “harmful” social media for users under 16, while California is advancing a statewide ban for the same age group, and Brazil requires parental consent and verification for under‑16s. These developments show that bans or strict restrictions on social media for under‑16s are actively being pursued.
Sources 60 searched
- UK PM Starmer set to ban 'harmful' social media for under-16s | Reuters
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to announce a ban on "harmful" online platforms for children under 16 while maintaining access to some safer forms of social media, the Times newspaper reported on Monday.
- White House urges UK not to ban social media for under-16s | Social media ban | The Guardian
The notice, published by the US embassy in London, added that age-gating for 13- to 16-year-olds would not work. “Technical methods developed to distinguish minors from adults cannot simply be repurposed for younger thresholds,” it said.
- Rushed social media ban for under-16s in UK could ‘unravel’, charity warns | Social media ban | The Guardian
The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) said an age limit on the use of tech platforms could unravel, after it was reported that the prime minister, Keir Starmer, would announce a ban on under-16s accessing “harmful” social media apps.
- Social media ban 'won't keep children safe', commissioner warns
There is insufficient evidence to suggest a social media ban for under‑16s would help keep children safer online, Scotland's children's commissioner has said.
- Online age verification laws by country - Wikipedia
Brazil became second country, non Western country, non English speaking and Latin country in the world to tighten internet restriction under Lei nº 15.211/2025 (the Digital ECA) on 17 March, 2026, which require age verification across the internet, including social networks, games, social media to not allow minors to access these, requiring parental consent for under 16s to access these social media, which forces them to verify their ID or facial scan, it even bans lootboxes for under 18s, causing many video games such Roblox, Minion Rush, Mario Kart Tour, EA Sports FC, Counter Strike, Genshin Impact, Fortnite and much more to restrict entire games or app purchase for non verified users.
- How and Why to Fight Back Against Social Media Bans | Electronic Frontier Foundation
California lawmakers are fast-tracking A.B. 1709—a sweeping bill that would ban anyone under 16 from using social media and force every user, regardless of age, to verify their identity before accessing social platforms.
- Social Media Bans for Under-16s: Rules by Country - LegalClarity
In the United States, no single federal law bans social media for children under 16, but existing federal rules already require parental consent for data collection from anyone under 13, and more than a dozen states have passed their own ...
- ‘We cannot ban our way out of a youth mental health crisis’: social media bans for teenagers lack evidence and pose risks, scientists say
In our new study, we collected ... wellbeing, and we were shocked by what we found. Not a single social media restriction experiment has included people under the age of 16....
- ‘We cannot ban our way out of a youth mental health crisis’: social media bans for teenagers lack evidence and pose risks, scientists say | EurekAlert!
In our new study, we collected ... wellbeing, and we were shocked by what we found. Not a single social media restriction experiment has included people under the age of 16....
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