Social Media Age Restrictions: Who and why banned social media on children under 16 years of age? Which apps are included in this new rule? Will platforms like YouTube, Instagram and X also be closed? What is social media curfew and how will it work? Are parents supporting this decision?
Social Media Ban UK Children: In today’s time, children have become so addicted to smartphones and tablets that parents are not able to keep them away from the screen even if they want to, but now the UK government has taken a very strict and historic step to curb this addiction of children. After the new rule comes in, children below 16 years of age will neither be able to view the reels nor will they be able to scroll. Not only this, the government is now also thinking of imposing ‘social media curfew’, which means that these apps will stop working on children’s phones as soon as night falls. The UK government’s new rule will work in the same way as Australia implemented in December 2025. Under this, ‘curfew’ will be imposed on 10 big platforms that are children’s favorite and most used.
Reason for banning social media?
The Government of Britain has taken this big step to improve the well-being and mental health of children. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that the old system had completely failed and it was very important to take this tough decision to keep children safe. Britain has now become the fourth country in the world to completely block social media for children under 16 years of age. Before this, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia have also implemented such strict rules in their countries. According to reports, 10 big platforms can come under this scope.
Which 10 big apps will be banned for children?
YouTube
TikTok
Snapchat
Twitch
X (Twitter)
threads
Kick
Not just a ban, ‘social media curfew’ will be imposed at night
The UK government is not stopping just by shutting down the apps. This government plan is two steps ahead of Australia’s plan. Under this, preparations are being made to impose a ‘curfew’ on social media at night for older teenagers, so that children cannot stay awake at night chatting or watching reels. Apart from this, strict limits will also be set on the use of AI chatbots.
90% parents said- ‘Ban this problem’
Before making this stringent law, the government had conducted a big survey for 3 months, in which about 1 lakh 16 thousand people gave their opinion. The results of this survey were shocking and eye-opening. 90% of parents openly supported the social media ban for children under 16 years of age. More than 83% people believed that social media has more disadvantages and dangers than its benefits. Parents say that features like ‘infinite scroll’ (continuous scrolling down) of reels and ‘autoplay’ of videos (videos playing one after the other) are making children slaves of the phone.
Ban on talking to unknown people on gaming apps
According to the new rules, not only social media but also online gaming apps will be tightened. Now children will not be able to talk or chat with any stranger while playing the game. Along with this, there will be strict restrictions on live-streaming even on platforms considered safe, so that children can be completely protected from online exploitation and obscenity. However, some social workers say that such strict restrictions may create new problems for children, but the government has made it clear that supporting families and securing the future of children is the first priority.