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Five big questions about the UK's under-16s social media ban

After the government's announcement on Monday, we know a social media ban is coming for under-16s in the UK . However, details on which apps are and are not included, besides those named by the government, and how the measures will extend to gaming sites like Roblox, remain spar

Five big questions about the UK's under-16s social media ban
BBC Technology โ€” 16 June 2026
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After the government's announcement on Monday, we know a social media ban is coming for under-16s in the UK .

However, details on which apps are and are not included, besides those named by the government, and how the measures will extend to gaming sites like Roblox, remain sparse.

And many are already asking whether enforcing the ban will mean cracking down on virtual private networks (VPNs), which can disguise someone's location online.

Ministers have said they will provide an update on further restrictions like potential curfews, curbing of "addictive" features like infinite scroll and AI chatbots, in July.

But here are some of the big unanswered questions about the UK social media ban.

The government has only specified a handful of sites included in the UK's social media ban,

These are Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.

However, it says its restrictions will closely follow Australia's - where the above apps plus Kick, Reddit, Threads and Twitch are banned for under-16s.

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