BBK Manifesto 2026: Under-16s social media ban must go further

The proposed social media ban for under-16s needs tight regulations to properly protect children from harmful content, BBK believes.  

Our Manifesto for Injured People sets out where risks remain and proposes robust age verification, greater accountability for platforms and better education and support for children and families. 

While we welcome the Government’s plans to restrict access to harmful content, we believe a ban alone will not keep children safe. Without effective enforcement and wider safeguards, children could still face risks online or be pushed towards less regulated online spaces. 

What the social media ban for under-16s means

The Government plans to prohibit social media use for under-16s from spring 2027, and introduce specific measures to curtail the creation and circulation of nude images by children.  

The proposals point to stronger requirements on platforms to prevent access by under-16s, faster removal of harmful content and clearer routes for reporting and enforcement.  

The intention is to make platforms more accountable for ensuring younger users cannot access services or harmful material that put them at risk. 

Why further measures are still needed

A legal prohibition alone will not keep children safe if it is not matched by effective, privacy-preserving age verification and robust enforcement. Determined users can circumvent basic checks, and inconsistent standards across platforms create weak points.  

To be credible and fair, any ban should be supported by reliable age assurance that does not expose users to unnecessary data collection, clear duties on platforms to detect and block underage use, and practical mechanisms for oversight and penalties when rules are ignored. 

There is a legitimate risk that a blanket ban could push some children towards less regulated, harder-to-monitor services. If mainstream platforms become off-limits without providing safer, age-appropriate alternatives, children may migrate to fringe sites and encrypted channels where harm is less visible and intervention more difficult.  

Policy should therefore combine access restrictions with safer-by-default environments for young people and sustained outreach that keeps trusted services engaged, moderated, and accessible. 

Harmful recommendation algorithms  

Even where children access content legitimately, recommendation systems can quickly amplify risky material such as self-harm, eating disorder-related, hypersexualised or violent content. Product design choices can pull young users into harmful content spirals.  

Any credible regime must address these system-level risks by requiring platforms to assess and mitigate algorithmic harms to children, reduce profiling, and provide age-appropriate feeds that default to safety rather than maximised engagement. 

Avoiding a false sense of safety

The Molly Rose Foundation has cautioned that a ban could leave parents with a “false sense of safety”. We agree. Rules on paper cannot substitute for active parental engagement and effective redress.  

Policymakers and platforms should be clear that restrictions reduce risk but do not eliminate it. Communication with families must emphasise ongoing vigilance, support and digital literacy. 

What needs to change

Policymakers and online platforms can advance child safety by focusing on clear, practical steps. 

To ensure this law has impact, we believe there should be enforceable duties on age assurance, content moderation and child-risk assessments, with graduated sanctions for non-compliance. Platforms should also provide rapid takedown routes for intimate images and effective user reporting. 

Another step could be robust, privacy-preserving age verification. Platforms should set technical and governance standards that minimise data retention and prevent function creep, with certification and regular testing to ensure accuracy and equity. 

In addition, there needs to be consistent enforcement. Platforms should coordinate regulator guidance, timelines, and penalties to avoid loopholes. They should ensure swift escalation for repeated breaches and meaningful consequences for design choices that foreseeably harm children. 

Finally, education and support are key. We are calling for digital literacy for children, practical guidance for parents and carers, and accessible support pathways in schools and communities.  

Conclusion 

The Government’s proposals mark a decisive shift towards stronger protections for children online. To succeed, they will need careful implementation: trustworthy age verification, system-level safeguards against harmful algorithms, credible enforcement, and honest communication with families.  

With a balanced, evidence-led approach combining restrictions with resilience, the UK can make the internet genuinely safer for young people.  

This blog is part of our 2026/27 Manifesto for Injured People. At Bolt Burdon Kemp, we support injured people not only by winning their cases but by driving positive change. Guided by our clients’ experiences and partnerships with charities across the UK, we are raising awareness of the changes needed to better support injured people. We will continue working with politicians from all parties to ensure injured people’s needs are not overlooked in Westminster or beyond. You can read our full manifesto here.