{"id":1992922,"date":"2026-06-16T09:35:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T06:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1992922"},"modified":"2026-06-16T09:35:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T06:35:16","slug":"uk-to-ban-social-media-and-streaming-platforms-for-under-16-year-olds-but-the-full-impact-on-games-and-the-gaming-industry-remains-unclear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1992922","title":{"rendered":"UK to ban social media and streaming platforms for under 16-year-olds, but the full impact on games and the gaming industry remains unclear"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">UK to ban social media and streaming platforms for under 16-year-olds, but the full impact on games and the gaming industry remains unclear<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;We&#8217;re going further than any country in the world.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/kier-starmer-social-media.png?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Kier Starmer during social media ban announcement.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"kier-starmer-social-media.png\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>The UK government.<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/connor-makar\">Connor Makar<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Staff Writer<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-06-16T09:35:16+00:00\">June 16, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/uk-social-media-ban-16s-gaming-industry?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          35 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The UK prime minister Keir Starmer has announced plans to ban 16-years-olds and younger from accessing social media platforms like X and Instagram. He&#8217;s also revealed the government is planning to introduce a similar ban for as yet undisclosed streaming websites.<\/p>\n<p>This social media ban, which Starmer hopes to pass legislation on before the end of this year, is planned to go into effect in spring 2027.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Thank Goodness You&apos;re Here! - Official Launch Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LFsDFNB-Ug4?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/LFsDFNB-Ug4\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Thank Goodness You&#8217;re Here! &#8211; Official Launch Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s a trailer for Thank Goodness You&#8217;re Here.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LFsDFNB-Ug4\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The list of confirmed impacted websites includes TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter \/ X, Snapchat, and Instagram. Neither Starmer, nor his government, have explained which streaming platforms they have  their sights set on. At the same time, messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal are explicitly noted as not under consideration for the ban.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A post on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/social-media-to-be-banned-for-under-16s-in-landmark-government-move-to-givekids-their-childhood-back\">official government website<\/a> elaborates on the livestream ban, but it&#8217;s mostly vague about details and raises more questions than answers. &#8220;In a move to protect children online and address the scale of the challenge, the government will also go further than a blanket ban on social media with world-leading blocks on\u202fharmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s,&#8221; the statement reads. &#8220;These restrictions \u2013 which together with the ban go further than any other country \u2013 will apply to a wider range of online services, including on gaming sites.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Parents want to keep their kids safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever,&#8221; said Starmer. &#8220;I&#8217;ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them. That&#8217;s why we&#8217;re going further than any country in the world by banning social media for under-16s and putting wider protections in place to give kids their childhood back.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Which gaming sites are likely to be impacted by this? One assumes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/twitch\">Twitch<\/a>, YouTube, and Kick. Will Discord, perhaps the largest communication app available also be affected? And what about this gaming website? You can make an account and communicate with strangers in the comments of this article.<\/p>\n<p>Games also allow players to communicate with strangers  &#8211; you can boot up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/runescape\">RuneScape<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/arc-raiders\">Arc Raiders<\/a>, and thousands of other games right now and talk to people you don&#8217;t know there. Will the UK force developers of online games to implement these blocks?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"2\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>This ban quite clearly follows the trend established by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cwyp9d3ddqyo\">Australia, which implemented a similar ban in December<\/a>, but which faced fierce pushback from younger people there. But as we see an increasing number of countries take up such measures, the impact on the gaming industry becomes a bigger question. After all, social media and streaming is largely how gaming companies advertise to younger audiences.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The UK prime minister Keir Starmer has announced plans to ban 16-years-olds and younger from accessing social media platforms like X and Instagram. He&#8217;s also revealed the government is planning to introduce a similar ban for as yet undisclosed streaming websites.<\/p>\n<p>This social media ban, which Starmer hopes to pass legislation on before the end of this year, is planned to go into effect in spring 2027.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Thank Goodness You&apos;re Here! - Official Launch Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LFsDFNB-Ug4?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/LFsDFNB-Ug4\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Thank Goodness You&#8217;re Here! &#8211; Official Launch Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s a trailer for Thank Goodness You&#8217;re Here.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LFsDFNB-Ug4\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The list of confirmed impacted websites includes TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter \/ X, Snapchat, and Instagram. Neither Starmer, nor his government, have explained which streaming platforms they have  their sights set on. At the same time, messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal are explicitly noted as not under consideration for the ban.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>A post on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/social-media-to-be-banned-for-under-16s-in-landmark-government-move-to-givekids-their-childhood-back\">official government website<\/a> elaborates on the livestream ban, but it&#8217;s mostly vague about details and raises more questions than answers. &#8220;In a move to protect children online and address the scale of the challenge, the government will also go further than a blanket ban on social media with world-leading blocks on\u202fharmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s,&#8221; the statement reads. &#8220;These restrictions \u2013 which together with the ban go further than any other country \u2013 will apply to a wider range of online services, including on gaming sites.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Parents want to keep their kids safe and happy, but the online world has made that harder than ever,&#8221; said Starmer. &#8220;I&#8217;ve heard first hand from families crying out for change and we will do right by them. That&#8217;s why we&#8217;re going further than any country in the world by banning social media for under-16s and putting wider protections in place to give kids their childhood back.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Which gaming sites are likely to be impacted by this? One assumes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/twitch\">Twitch<\/a>, YouTube, and Kick. Will Discord, perhaps the largest communication app available also be affected? And what about this gaming website? You can make an account and communicate with strangers in the comments of this article.<\/p>\n<p>Games also allow players to communicate with strangers  &#8211; you can boot up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/runescape\">RuneScape<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/arc-raiders\">Arc Raiders<\/a>, and thousands of other games right now and talk to people you don&#8217;t know there. Will the UK force developers of online games to implement these blocks?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"2\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>This ban quite clearly follows the trend established by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cwyp9d3ddqyo\">Australia, which implemented a similar ban in December<\/a>, but which faced fierce pushback from younger people there. But as we see an increasing number of countries take up such measures, the impact on the gaming industry becomes a bigger question. After all, social media and streaming is largely how gaming companies advertise to younger audiences.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News UK to ban social media and streaming platforms for under 16-year-olds, but the full impact on games and the gaming industry remains unclear &#8220;We&#8217;re going further than any country in the world.&#8221; Image credit: The UK government. News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on June 16, 2026 35 comments The UK prime [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1992922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1992922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1992922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1992922\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1992922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1992922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1992922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}