A social media ban is coming to the UK for under 16s. Will it protect kids online? 

The UK government has announced that social media will be banned for users under 16.  

This decision reflects what CCDH research has long identified: social media companies consistently fail to make their platforms safe for children. They design platforms that hook kids to their phones while feeding them harmful suicide, self-harm, or graphic content. 

Our reports have shown, for example, X exposing UK teens to sexually explicit content through search results, and YouTube recommending eating disorder videos to 13-year-old girls. 

“For years, social media companies put growth and profits ahead of children’s safety. Today’s announcement reflects the mounting evidence of the harm that decision has caused to kids and families,” said CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed. 

We welcome the UK government’s decisive intervention to protect children. But bans are not enough. 

“Bans are no silver bullet and without strong enforcement, these protections risk becoming empty promises. CCDH will continue fighting to ensure tech companies are held accountable and children’s safety comes first,” stated Imran. 

As we saw with the Online Safety Act, passing new rules is only the first step. To make them work, we need effective implementation and enforcement to hold social media giants accountable for harming children. 

CCDH hopes this action marks the beginning of a broader commitment to ensuring that platforms are safe by design, and that policymakers move with the same determination wherever evidence shows that technology is causing preventable harm.