U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is taking on some of the world's largest technology companies, announcing Monday that Britain will ban children under 16 from using major social media platforms - including TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube - and impose hefty penalties on companies that fail to keep minors off their services.
The restrictions, expected to take effect early next year, would also apply to Instagram, Facebook and X. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal, as well as YouTube Kids, would be exempt.
Starmer said he is prepared to confront resistance from technology companies and acknowledged some teenagers will try to circumvent the rules, but argued the government has a responsibility to act.
"Every parent can see it with their own eyes. Social media is making children unhappy," Starmer, who has two teenage children, told reporters. "I've heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them."
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The move places Britain at the forefront of a growing international push to limit children's access to social media. Australia last year became the first country to prohibit children under 16 from holding social media accounts, while Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced or proposed similar age-based restrictions. France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and South Korea are among others studying or developing similar approaches.
Under the British plan, platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to prevent kids under-16 from accessing their services could face multimillion-dollar fines. Starmer said enforcement efforts would be directed at technology companies rather than the children themselves.
The decision follows a public consultation that drew 116,000 responses from parents, children and the tech industry - the second-highest response total for a government consultation since one on same-sex marriage in 2012.
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More than 90% of respondents supported an under-16 ban, according to the government.
A YouTube spokesperson warned Monday that a blanket social media restriction could "push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services."
The U.S. Embassy in London warned that any regulations should be narrowly tailored and not infringe on free speech protections, while also expressing concern about additional burdens on American technology companies.
Starmer said he expected to discuss the issue with President Donald Trump and other world leaders at the G7 summit in France that starts Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
