British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that the UK will ban adolescents from accessing some social media sites.
Messaging services such as Signal or WhatsApp would not be impacted, Starmer said in a statement announcing the effort.
“This is a line in the sand,” he said. “Tech giants had their chance and failed, but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations.”
The UK joins a host of other nations determined to limit young users’ access to social media. Last week, Canada introduced legislation that would restrict social media access and place some limits on AI chatbots for children under 16 unless platforms meet certain safety standards. Australia has already implemented such a ban, which went into force in December 2025, barring young users from accessing Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The leaders of several EU nations — including France, Greece, and Spain — have also called for bans on children’s access to some social media services.
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