Expert view: Three practical considerations for under 16s navigating the social media ban

The recent UK Government announcement that various social media platforms will be banned for under 16s has brought about significant debate. Discussions have primarily focused on the online safety concerns driving this, the likely impacts of the ban on young people's mental health and well-being, and how viable a ban really can be.

However, less attention has been paid to the realities that are likely to face millions of young people who are currently active on many of the social media platforms which are included in the ban (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Reddit).

Some of these realities include the following three discussion points:

Communication gaps

One of the most prominent purposes of social media for young people is its ability to keep them connected and communicate with friends. Under 16s have grown up in a world where digital communication is very much the norm and in many cases, considered the default communication method.

Having these default communication channels closed to them is likely to cause a significant paradigm shift in their communication etiquette and practices.

Whilst social media might often embrace many visual forms of communication (e.g., sharing stories to stay connected), restrictions on these may bring about challenges to how young people may feel able to stay connected to each other in other formats. There are considerations here about how young people may have to adapt to what "being social" looks like in other formats.

Disconnected identities

Digital platforms such as social media are often critical aspects of our identity curation and expression. In a world where there is no longer a distinction between the digital and the physical world, digital platforms are a core part of how we express identity and forge a digital legacy.

For many young people currently using social media, they will be facing a reality where their identity claims are put to an abrupt halt. If they can return to these social media platforms several years later, they will be faced with gaping holes in their identity development journey.

A related practical consideration is whether their social media profiles will be retained by platforms and for what duration. Many platforms have strict retention policies for inactive profiles, and it is unclear how platforms will manage policies and practices in this regard for young people's profiles that are subjected to the ban.

Skills and learning

Social media platforms can provide a situated experience for young people to learn digital and media skills. It is widely known for example, that learning is most effective when it is experientially derived.

In the case of learning how to identify misinformation or recognise scam posts, these are best placed to be learnt within their natural context on platforms such as social media.

Without situated social media learning experiences, this puts a significant additional strain on digital and media literacy education.

That is, classroom provision focused on online safety for example, which is impoverish of the real context of social media, might become entirely hypothetical to many young people without lived experience of social media and will reduce the impact of these types of educational initiatives.

This has significant implications for future generations who may never experience social media until they are 16 years old. They will be faced with a steep learning curve not only on the technical aspects of using social media but understanding social nuances that occur within social media interactions and communication, that can only be experienced through situated experiences.

These are just three likely practical considerations related to the social media ban for under 16s.

However, it remains to be seen how these may play out over the coming months and years. One thing is for sure- young people should not be expected to be responsible for adapting to these changes alone.

We have responsibility to ensure that the social media world we built for them to enter has clear, accessible and practical exit routes that we can guide them through.

One thing is for sure, young people should not be expected to be responsible for adapting to these changes alone.

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June 18, 2026