Tech firms could dodge UK's social media ban, starting March
Conditions apply.
- The UK’s under-16 social media ban is set to begin next March.
- Lisa Nandy said platforms may avoid restrictions if they make services safe enough for children.
- Ofcom will define effective age checks and publish its findings by the end of October.
- Australian research found many teens still bypassed similar rules and kept using covered platforms.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The UK's social media ban for under-16s will come into force next March, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has confirmed – locking in a date even as the age-verification system meant to enforce it is still being tested.
The cabinet minister announced the timetable at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Sunday, later adding that there may be ways tech firms could avoid restrictions.
Ministers had previously said the ban would come into effect in spring next year without specifying a date.
The restrictions are expected to cover TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, X, Bluesky, Reddit, Facebook. Twitch, Kick, and Threads.
Tech giants could earn their way off banned list
However, Nandy said social media companies could potentially avoid the restrictions if they make their platforms sufficiently safe for children, according to reports from the conference.
There will be a way for companies, if they want to innovate and they want to change, to be able to get themselves essentially off that list,– says UK's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
“They can decide to innovate if they want to, and we believe they should because we think they have their social and moral obligations.”
“But whether they do it or not, the government has an obligation here and we intend to act.”
Ofcom age assurance assessment due at the end of October
UK regulator Ofcom has been asked to carry out a rapid assessment of what “highly effective age assurance” should look like to prove that someone is over 16, with the regulator due to publish its findings by the end of October.
Exactly how the social media ban is implemented is likely to be one of the most contentious parts of the policy.
The government says it wants to make it much harder for children to get around the restrictions, after Australia’s online safety regulator said many teens down under had still managed to keep accounts, open new ones, or bypass checks.
Australia provided a lesson
In June, former Prime Minister Keir Starmer called these measures “Australia Plus,” and the restrictions are likely to build on age checks already being used under the Online Safety Act to prevent children from accessing pornography and harmful material.
Existing approaches to age assurance mooted so far include facial age estimation, photo ID matching, open banking, credit card checks, and digital identity services.
In July, the government ruled out banning VPNs as part of these sweeping restrictions – but added that it was keeping its options open.
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Early research suggests that the Australia ban has been relatively easy for some teenagers to bypass.
According to an observational study published in the BMJ, researchers surveyed over 400 Australians aged 12 to 17 before the restrictions were introduced and again 3 months later.
Around 85% of these youngsters still reported using social media platforms covered by the new rules.
