Under-16 social media ban: what it could mean for revision

GOV.UK gives these as examples: “Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X”.

These are the apps most students will recognise in the proposal.

The final platform list depends on regulations and later detail.

GOV.UK says it does not intend messaging services like “WhatsApp and Signal” to be included.

A WhatsApp group for family, a club or classmates is currently treated differently from a social-media feed.

DMs inside covered social apps may be treated differently from standalone messaging services.

The government says it wants the ban not to include educational services.

School-approved learning platforms should not be treated the same as social apps.

Ordinary revision content on YouTube or TikTok is still a practical uncertainty because those platforms are named as examples.

GOV.UK says these should sit outside the ban through narrow exemptions.

The proposal is aimed at social platforms rather than every online service.

The exemptions list will be kept under review.

Stranger communication restrictions can include gaming services, but the government says multiplayer games online should not be affected.

Playing with friends is different from open contact with unknown players.

Do not treat this as a named-game ban unless future official guidance says so.

The government says the livestreaming ban is for under-16s livestreaming themselves across all platforms.

A live gameplay stream, live chat stream or live creator stream could be affected even outside a classic social-media feed.

Watching someone else’s stream and broadcasting yourself may be treated differently; wait for platform-specific detail.

The account ban and stranger-communication rules may affect messaging features on covered platforms.

A Snapchat group or Instagram DM group is not the same as a standalone WhatsApp group.

Final details will depend on how each covered service is defined and changed.

YouTube and TikTok are named as platform examples, so mainstream revision content on those platforms is a real question.

The government also says educational services should be exempt, but it has not settled how ordinary learning content inside a social platform will be treated.

Keep a list of school-approved websites, textbooks, exam-board resources and teacher-recommended channels in case access changes later.

WhatsApp and Signal are not intended to be included.

Schools and clubs may still set their own communication rules.

Agree which channels are appropriate for schoolwork, reminders and family messages.

If the platform itself is covered, accounts and message features may be affected.

The final treatment of group DMs on each platform is not yet published.

Move important school or club information to an agreed channel that does not depend on a covered social account.

The government says the stranger-communication restriction should not stop children participating in multiplayer games online.

Games may need to change chat, voice, friend-request or community features.

Use friend-only settings, privacy tools and agreed family rules now.

This is closer to the government’s definition of stranger communication.

The technical settings will depend on platforms and later regulator detail.

Do not rely on open chat with unknown users for clubs, teams or revision groups.

Under-16s livestreaming themselves is expected to be blocked across platforms.

Platform tools for saving or moving existing content are not yet set out.

Keep original videos, images and project files outside any social app.

The young people’s summary says under-16 accounts on covered social media will need to be switched off or paused once the rules come in.

Archives, monetisation, appeals and account restoration are not yet specified.

Save your own work, keep a non-social portfolio where appropriate, and involve a parent or carer before making changes.

GOV.UK says young people should still be able to access the online world safely for these purposes.

The practical methods may look different once platforms redesign services.

Talk about which apps are useful, which are risky and which alternatives are trusted.

The UK government’s announced plan to stop certain social media services being offered to children under 16.

It is the main account-access rule being discussed.

A platform whose purpose is social interaction and which lets users post material, alongside algorithms.

This is how GOV.UK explains the kind of social platform likely to be captured.

A service mainly used for messaging rather than public social feeds.

WhatsApp and Signal are not intended to be included, but social-app DMs are a separate issue.

Methods for unknown users to contact or talk with children, including on gaming services.

This may affect open chats, voice chat and messages from unknown users.

Broadcasting live video or audio of yourself online.

The proposal says under-16s livestreaming themselves would be restricted across platforms.

Processes a service uses to decide whether a user is a child or old enough for a feature.

It is the system that platforms may use to separate under-16 users from older users.

Ofcom’s standard for age assurance that can correctly decide whether a user is a child.

Ofcom’s criteria include being “technically accurate; robust; reliable; and fair”.

The government’s intention that educational services should not be included in the ban.

It matters for revision, but it does not automatically settle what happens to learning videos hosted on social platforms.

Existing duties on regulated online services that continue alongside the new proposal.

The DSIT letter to Ofcom says the proposed restrictions are additional to those duties, including for 16- and 17-year-olds.