The social media ban for under-16s: what it means for families

From Spring 2027, social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, will be legally prohibited from offering their services to children under 16 in the UK. Families will not face penalties if children find workarounds. That responsibility falls on the platforms. But for separated parents, the new law raises questions that go well beyond a child’s screen time.

On 15 June 2026, the Government confirmed it was pressing ahead with one of the most significant child safety measures in a generation. As family solicitors, we have already started fielding questions about what this means in practice, particularly from parents navigating co-parenting arrangements where they and their ex-partner don’t always see eye to eye.

What exactly does the ban cover?

The Government has confirmed that platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, and X will be barred from providing their services to under-16s. The legal mechanism is Section 70 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which amends the Online Safety Act 2023 to require age verification regulations. Those regulations are expected to be introduced before the end of 2026, with the ban itself coming into force in Spring 2027.

The UK is following a path already taken by Australia, where a near-identical ban came into force in December 2025. It is early days there, but the Australian experience is already shaping how Ofcom and the UK Government are thinking about compliance and enforcement.

It is worth being clear about what the ban does and does not cover. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal are excluded. Children will still be able to access the internet for education, news, and gaming. The restrictions are specifically aimed at social media platforms: the ones powered by recommendation algorithms, designed to maximise time spent scrolling, and built to facilitate interaction with people a child has never met.

For 16 and 17-year-olds, social media access remains permitted, but with conditions. Certain features, including livestreaming and direct messaging from unknown adults, will be switched off by default. Platforms will only be able to turn these on if users actively choose to do so.

Who is responsible for enforcing this, parents or platforms?

This catches many parents off guard. Families will not be penalised if a child manages to avoid the rules. The duty lies entirely with the technology companies. Platforms must implement highly effective age assurance measures, essentially robust age verification, and Ofcom, as the online safety regulator, will monitor compliance and pursue enforcement action where platforms fall short. Fines for non-compliant companies could be substantial.

Ministers have been candid about the limits of the legislation: some children will try to use VPNs or other technical workarounds to get around age checks. The Government has indicated that further measures to address this are in the pipeline, with more expected to be confirmed later in 2026. This is an evolving picture.

Why does this matter if you are a separated parent?

As family solicitors, this is where we find ourselves paying closest attention. The ban is not just a tech policy story. For families going through separation or divorce, and for those who already have child arrangements orders in place, it introduces a new dimension to something that was already, at times, contentious.

Arguments about screen time are nothing new in separated families. Different rules in different households are a fact of life in many co-parenting arrangements, and courts have long been reluctant to intervene in what are essentially parenting-style disagreements. Once the ban carries the force of law, that changes. A parent who knowingly allows an under-16 to access a banned platform is not simply making a different parenting choice; they are facilitating something that Parliament has decided is harmful to children.

Under Section 1 of the Children Act 1989, the welfare of the child is the paramount consideration in any family court proceedings. A consistent and deliberate disregard for statutory child safety protections, particularly where there is evidence of harm to a child as a result, could, in appropriate circumstances, become relevant to proceedings about child arrangements. We would not want to overstate this. A single lapse is very different from a pattern of behaviour. But it is a consideration that simply did not exist before this legislation.

What should parents be thinking about now?

Whether you are currently going through a separation or you have had arrangements in place for years, it is worth asking a few questions before the ban comes into force:

Are the rules consistent across both households?

When one parent enforces the ban and the other does not, friction tends to follow, not just between the parents. Children are often very aware of inconsistencies, which can undermine both households’ authority. Where possible, it is worth trying to agree a shared approach, even if the broader co-parenting relationship is difficult.

Are there existing welfare concerns linked to your child’s online activity?

Cyberbullying, contact with unknown adults, and exposure to harmful content are issues that courts can consider regardless of this new ban. If you have concerns, it is worth taking advice now rather than waiting for the regulations to come into force.

What if your child is 16 or 17?

The outright ban applies only to under-16s. Older teenagers can still use social media, but certain features, including live video and direct messaging from strangers, will be disabled by default under the new rules. If a 16 or 17-year-old is at particular risk, it is worth understanding exactly what protections do and do not apply.

Our view, and a word of caution

Nine in ten parents backed this ban when consulted. That level of consensus is unusual in any public policy debate, and it tells you something about how serious parents are about the risks social media poses to young people. From a family law perspective, we welcome this. The Online Safety Act 2023 was a start. This goes further, and in our view, rightly so.

That said, legislation only ever does part of the job. Children are adaptable, and a determined teenager will often find a way around an age gate, as any parent of one will already know. What the ban cannot substitute for is the kind of open, honest conversation between parent and child about why these restrictions exist. And for separated parents, that conversation is harder to have consistently when you are no longer under the same roof. The real challenge, and this is something we see playing out in our caseload, is not the law itself. It is the co-operation between two adults that is required, and they may not find it particularly easy.

If the social media ban has raised questions about your child arrangements, or if disagreements about your children’s online activity have already become a source of conflict, we can help you think through your options.

Contact our Family Law solicitors today

If you require legal support with any issues covered in this article, please get in touch with our specialist Family Law team by using our online enquiry form or by calling 0330 191 0070.

The ban is expected to come into force in Spring 2027, subject to parliamentary approval of regulations before the end of 2026. We will update this article as further details are confirmed by the Government and Ofcom.