THE APEX TIMES
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a proposed U.K. law that would bar people under 16 from using major social media platforms and require companies to verify users’ ages or face significant penalties.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced in the U.K. on Monday that the government is pursuing a proposed law to ban social media access for children under 16, according to CBS News reporting from London. The plan would also apply to the companies that operate the social platforms, which would be required to verify users’ ages.
The proposed rules would cover major apps including TikTok and Snapchat, CBS News said. Under the approach described by Starmer, anyone under the age threshold would be prevented from using the services, shifting the burden to platforms to ensure age restrictions are enforced.
CBS News reported that, beyond blocking underage accounts, social media companies would be required to implement age verification measures. The government proposal, as described in the CBS report, includes potential large fines for companies that fail to comply with the age-check requirement.
The announcement was delivered as a legislative proposal, meaning it would still require further government and parliamentary steps before becoming law. Details on the exact enforcement mechanisms, verification standards, and timeline were not provided in the CBS report summary, and additional specifics would depend on the text of the proposed legislation and guidance that follows.
The change would affect minors and their families, as it would limit access to widely used messaging and content platforms during school-age years. It would also increase compliance and operational costs for the affected companies in the U.K. market, particularly around verifying ages at sign-up or through ongoing checks.
The plan would likely raise questions about how age verification is conducted in practice and what counts as sufficient compliance by platforms, since the CBS report frames penalties as potentially significant for noncompliant companies. The final approach could also determine how the rule is applied to different types of accounts, including those created before verification procedures are required.
CBS News identified the announcement as coming from Starmer and reported it through Leigh Kiniry from London, dated June 15, 2026. The next step for the government would be to advance the proposal through the legislative process and set out implementation details for platforms and regulators.