United KingdomUnder-16 social media minimum age regulations (announced), Online Safety Act 2023 section 214A
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What follows is LexLint's own research summary of this law, not legal advice.
Proposed: draft date not recorded.
An announced intention with no published text, dated 15 June 2026, as of 12 September 2026.
A social media and minors rule binding private bodies.
As of 16 July 2026.
Where it has got to
The text described here is Government announcement 'Social media to be banned for under-16s in landmark government move to give kids their childhood back' (DSIT / Secretary of State), 15 June 2026, published 15 June 2026.
The stage above is recorded at www.gov.uk.
No draft instrument has been laid before Parliament. The announcement said the regulations were expected to be brought to Parliament before Christmas 2026.
What this law does
Drafted with AI from the cited sources under the direction of UnGovr staff. UnGovr holds editorial responsibility for this page.
On 15 June 2026 the government announced it will ban under-16s from social media platforms that allow content posting and use algorithmic recommendation feeds (naming Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X), with messaging services excluded and narrow exemptions for education, e-commerce, and music streaming.
The ban will be made by statutory instrument under section 214A of the Online Safety Act 2023 rather than a new bill, with regulations expected to be laid before Parliament by the end of 2026 and protections in force in spring 2027. The announcement followed the Growing Up in the Online World national consultation (2 March to 26 May 2026, over 116,000 responses), whose government response was published on 15 July 2026. Ofcom is to complete a rapid study on highly effective age assurance for under-16s in autumn 2026.
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
Ofcom (expected, under the Online Safety Act 2023 framework)
What it reaches
Age threshold
16
Covered services
User-to-user social media platforms that allow content posting and use algorithmic recommendation feeds; messaging services excluded, with narrow exemptions for education, e-commerce, and music streaming services.
Who checks it
Audit expectation
none
When LexLint raises it
operates_social_platform
Read the law
DSIT announcement and consultation outcome, gov.uk
Commons statement, Hansard, 15 June 2026
Every line above is drawn from the primary source linked here, read on the date shown. This is a research summary, not legal advice.