Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a ban on under‑16s accessing social media, set to start in early 2027. The measure aims to go beyond Australia’s model, which relies on algorithms to infer age. Parents have welcomed the move, but regulators warn practical enforcement will be difficult.

Ofcom told ministers it doubts the efficacy of the Australian‑style age‑verification tools used by platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. The regulator gave the government until October to devise a "highly effective" system, noting that current online‑safety checks for adults rely on credit‑card checks and are already complex.

Ministers are also grappling with VPN circumvention. Digital minister Ian Murray said the government is exploring ways to enforce VPN age checks, though privacy groups argue this could erode the security benefits of VPNs. The final rules will determine how tightly the ban can be policed.