One number framed the announcement before a single policy detail was published: sixteen. From spring 2027, no child below that age will be permitted to access TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube or X in the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made the pledge on Thursday, promising that enabling legislation would be passed before Christmas. The move makes Britain one of the most ambitious countries in the world to attempt a hard age cut-off for social media — a category that, until recently, most governments treated as an ordinary consumer product.

The mechanics of enforcement will be as consequential as the ban itself. Platforms will be required to verify users' ages, though the government acknowledged that many adults would satisfy the requirement automatically — through linked credit cards, existing email verification, or simply the age of their accounts. Children under sixteen, however, will find the apps blocked entirely. Certain features, including livestreaming and the ability for strangers to initiate contact, will also be restricted for users aged sixteen and seventeen.

In a separately noted provision, AI-generated intimate or sexual content will be prohibited for everyone under eighteen.