Starmer Set to Introduce New Social Media Legislation in Spring 2027

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Talks surrounding the necessity of limitations for social media platform have been around for the past year. There has been a growing amount of concern over the use of 'doom-scrolling' and the addictive potency of certain platforms, especially as the main consumer of these products is the population aged 13 and upwards.

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📰 On 15 June 2026, the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer announced that government was issuing a new legislation that would ban the use of certain social media platforms for children - it is said that this legislation would go into effect in Spring 2027.

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This legislation has been both praised and condemned by experts. The children themselves, via an interview with the BBC, have voiced their thoughts:

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* It is the parents' responsibility to decide whether to give children access to social media apps or not - a complete ban would be 'authoritative and unnecessary'

* The legislation might have some merit, as not all parents are aware their child has social media, or, alternatively, the parents do not have in-depth knowledge about it to be able to monitor properly

* Rather than a complete ban, social media platforms should be more restricted, for instance, setting limits to interacting with strangers online

* Some children proposed to introduce time limits instead of a blanket ban

* Certain children agree the legislation will have a positive long-term impact, especially on mental health

* Instead of a ban, parents should be given more support to help them provide proper guidance for their children

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🔒 It was reported that messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal will not be banned - online gaming platform Roblox is reported to remain available. However, feature such as livestreaming, infinite scrolling or messaging under-16s online will be restricted.

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💬 What are your views of the upcoming social media legislation?

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