The UK's under-16s social media ban could arrive soon but here are 8
measures we could see instead

Date:
Wed, 27 May 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Description:
The UK Government's new social media rules are coming soon, here's what we expect,

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The UK government's online safety consultation just ended This, and comments from officials, suggest we'll see new rules soon for under-16s A ban might not be coming, but some features could be restricted The UK government is expected to announce some kind of social media crackdown for young people in the next few weeks after Prime Minister Kier Starmer said on Tuesday he would act very, very quickly following a consultation with the public and with families; however, its
being reported that it might not be a full ban for under-16s.

According to a report from The Times (behind a paywall), various experts and social media companies themselves are expecting a ban on addictive features, such as infinite scroll or video autoplay. The logic here seems to be that in places where full-on social media bans are in effect (such as Australia),
many under 16s have found ways to circumvent restrictions or theyve been pushed to less regulated online spaces that are either ignoring or havent
been included in the ban. So instead of stopping access, youd make the sites less addictive and safer by banning specific features. Latest Videos From You may like UK still considers social media ban as Australia struggles with enforcement Medical report links social media use in children to tobacco use 'No approach is a silver bullet' UK launches online safety consultation that could see VPNs age-restricted

Below, Ive outlined the 8 measures and bans we might see implemented by the
UK government. Other options are possible, though there are several that have been floated by online safety advocates, social media companies themselves, and those involved in UK politics so I expect well see some combination of these introduced when the UKs social media crackdown commences. Infinite scroll and auto play These two features are often used by social media companies and other platforms to encourage more engagement with content, so Ive grouped them together.

Infinite scroll allows you to scroll infinitely that is, no matter how many TikTok videos you swipe through or how far down the Instagram page you go, there is always more to see and consume. Autoplay is also self-explanatory; videos in your feed will automatically start playing as you scroll by either with audio or silently with subtitles. This feature hopes to hook you on content that you might have moved past, as once it starts, you get a little bit invested in what youre watching.

Infinite scroll was a key complaint of a Californian ruling, which declared some social media platforms addictive, so I wouldnt be surprised if its one
of the first to go under any UK government rulings. (Image credit: Shutterstock) Alerts and push notifications Another pair of tools that encourage social media usage, alerts and push notifications are the dings and pop-ups you see telling you you just got a DM, that your post got a comment, or that a content creator you have favorited just posted something.

They aim to take you away from whatever else youre doing and pull you back to the social media platform.

This could be tackled at an app-level, or it could also be handled at a
device level forcing iPhones and Android devices to block app notifications for accounts linked to minors. Well have to see which method, if any, the UK Government chooses. What to read next From essential security tools to restricted circumvention software: The EU signals that VPNs are the next target following the release of its age verification app Australias age verification rules: Is a VPN ban on the horizon? The UK's online safety consultation ends today here's what it could mean for VPNs Likes and
comments These interactive engagement tools are another one that could be taken away for accounts belonging to users under 16, possibly taking away these options from posts made by young people, and/or removing their ability to like and comment.

While likes and comments are a mainstay of social media platforms, they can have consequences. Bad actors can use these features to harass the poster or to build up a rapport with the poster that could later be exploited.

Banning this aspect would allow younger users to still engage with social media by posting, but in a more bubbled and hopefully safer environment. (Image credit: Shutterstock/everything possible) Personalised content recommendations A.k.a. the algorithm: the platforms software that analyses your watch time, likes, comments, scrolling habits, everything it can to find out what you want to see and feed it to you.

This feature being banned would make social media platforms much less appealing, as your feed wont be tailored to your interests. However, thats
not necessarily a bad thing if the goal is to reduce time spent online, and
it could help prevent the wave of young users spiralling into shadier online sects as the algorithm simply feeds you content it thinks youll engage with, not necessarily content you should be seeing. Device-level age verification
So far, the measures we might see arent ones most platforms are pushing for; instead, theyve argued for age restrictions to be brought at a device-level, which would see Apple and Google on the hook for checking the age of phone users and then tailoring their app access accordingly.

While it passes the buck to some extent, the advantages it offers are that it should help limit cases where theres a disparity between what limits are imposed on social media platforms, and for users, its less likely that their private data could leak, as theyre only sharing it with one or two companies rather than every platform where they create an account. (Image credit: Pixabay) A VPN ban This idea has been floated a few times, including by the UKs House of Lords back in December 2025 .

Its certainly still a possibility well see a ban for under-16s, though a
wider ban seems a lot less likely. One of our VPN experts, Chiara Castro, has gone through a ll of the arguments against a VPN in another in-depth story,
so check those out, but one of the reasons for limiting VPN access is that they allow users to avoid geo-locked restrictions, as they can spoof their location. Until restrictions are applied more globally, governments may feel VPNs are a loophole they need to close. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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