Prime Minister Starmer announced a ban on children under 16 from major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook and X, targeting tech companies with mandatory age checks. WhatsApp and Signal are expected to be exempt, while livestreaming and AI 'romantic companion' chatbots face tighter limits for minors, according to official statements reported by JBN.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday named the specific platforms covered by Britain's new ban on children under 16 — TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook and X — and confirmed that WhatsApp and Signal are exempt, according to official statements reported by Jewish Breaking News. The announcement, which Starmer framed as 'giving children their childhoods back,' reiterates the government's timeline for the measure to take effect beginning in 2027.
The story has developed rapidly since our first report at 10:15 Jerusalem on Monday, when multiple Hebrew outlets reported that Starmer had declared a full ban on under-16 social-media use effective immediately, with N12's Asaf Rozentzweig quoting the prime minister saying 'this is the right decision.' By 12:37 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported a more detailed official plan, specifying an implementation start of 2027 and naming Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter (X), and gaming live-streams. The latest dispatch adds TikTok to the list and formalizes the exemptions for encrypted messaging apps.
As The Zioneer reported on June 10, the UK government has been pursuing stricter online-safety measures for minors, and the current plan represents the most aggressive regulatory framework yet proposed by a Western government. The exemption for end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal, both of which are widely used in Israel, may shape how Israeli-founded tech companies and their competitors approach compliance with the new rules.
The exact mechanism for age verification remains unspecified in the materials available to the desk. It also remains unclear how the ban will be enforced on platforms that already allow under-16s to create accounts or whether gaming platforms beyond live-streaming are affected.
5 developments
- StrongFrance's social media ban for under-15s to take effect next school year, requires age verification
- StrongUAE approves social media ban for children under 15
- DevelopingAustralia plans stricter social media ban for children, expands internet regulator powers
- DevelopingUS House passes Kids Online Safety Act requiring age verification for adult content
Source and signal
- Open-source intake