Nandy says children’s social media ban only ‘staging post’ in online safety drive

Exclusive: Culture secretary says UK will crack down further and be ‘pioneer of tech as a force for good’

Lisa Nandy has warned technology firms that the government’s online safety crackdown is not finished, saying that banning under-16s from social media platforms is only a “staging post”.

Earlier this year the government announced that teenagers under the age of 16 would be banned from accessing “high-risk” social media apps, while safer platforms would be subjected to restrictions.

This article was amended on 30 September 2026. An earlier version said the UK’s upcoming social media ban would include “restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds on websites that allow infinite scrolling and algorithmic content”; in fact, these restrictions are planned but do not yet have a determined date.