UK Police Urge Under-16 Ban on Social, Gaming and AI Apps With Private Messaging
Updated
Updated · Euronews · May 24
UK Police Urge Under-16 Ban on Social, Gaming and AI Apps With Private Messaging
2 articles · Updated · Euronews · May 24
UK police chiefs said children under 16 should be blocked from social media, gaming and AI apps that include private messaging, especially where strangers can contact minors or nude images can be shared.
The NPCC and NCA said the online environment is now unsafe for children, with harmful recommendation algorithms, weak age checks and encrypted or private messaging helping grooming, abuse and other crimes.
Police stopped short of backing a total social media ban, saying they would prefer platforms to make those features safe or remove them for minors rather than shut children out of the internet entirely.
Ofcom already has powers under the Online Safety Act to investigate and fine platforms, but police want it to enforce minimum age rules and tighter device-level nudity controls as child sexual abuse cases linked to online activity rise.
The intervention lands as the UK government consults on under-16 social media restrictions, including age limits, bans or app curfews, while Apple, Instagram and TikTok have begun adding some protections despite privacy concerns over curbing private messaging.
With AI that can detect nudes on our phones, why are police still calling for outright social media bans?
Will banning teens from social media actually protect them, or will it just push them into the internet's shadows?
To save children online, must we build a surveillance system that puts everyone's private data at risk?
92,000 Child Abuse Reports in 2025 Spur UK Police Push for Under-16 Social Media Restrictions
Overview
UK police chiefs have called for a ban on under-16s using social, gaming, and AI apps that do not disable high-risk features, following a sharp rise in online child sexual abuse reports. They highlight dangers like private messaging and weak age checks, urging Ofcom to enforce age limits and require device-level nudity controls. The UK government is responding with new laws, public consultations, and direct talks with tech companies, pushing platforms to act faster on child safety. These efforts are already prompting major companies to strengthen safeguards, showing the real impact of regulatory pressure.