Government confirms further online safety measures for young people: key takeaways

The Government has published the second part of its response to the Growing Up in the Online World consultation, setting out further measures intended to support the ban on under-16s accessing social media services which is expected to come into force in Spring 2027.  

When the Government announced the first set of planned measures in June, it committed to providing a further update on the outstanding elements of the consultation by mid-July. This further response has now landed and sets out additional protections for 16- and 17-year-olds, the use of AI chatbots by children, age-assurance circumvention and the proposed increase to the age of digital consent. 

Crucially for IAB UK members, the Government has confirmed that it will not proceed with raising the age of digital consent at this stage. In our submission to the social media ban consultation, we argued that changes to the age of consent would not directly address online harms and could have unintended consequences for the ad-funded web, so we welcome Government’s decision not to proceed at this stage. 

However, much of the detail regarding how the package of measures will operate in practice if yet to be developed, so we expect further announcements from Government and Ofcom (the regulator for online safety) in the coming months.  

Key takeaways 

Default protections for 16- and 17-year-olds 

Social media services will be required to apply what the Government describes as “sensible default protections” for 16- and 17-year-old users. These will include default overnight restrictions, with a curfew between midnight and 6am, as well as default restrictions on persuasive design features such as autoplay and personalised feeds. Platforms will be required to activate these protections automatically. However, 16- and 17-year-olds will be able to turn them off through their settings when they feel ready to do so. 

The Government says the measures are intended to prevent a cliff edge in protections when a child turns 16. They are also designed to help older teenagers make safer and more informed decisions about their online experiences, while reducing the sense that they can never switch off. 

AI chatbots 

The Government has announced further measures relating to children’s use of AI chatbots, alongside the measures announced on chatbots in June. Mandatory breaks will be introduced for under-18s using chatbot services, and the Government will work with experts to determine how frequently these breaks should take place and how long they should last. 

It has also committed to taking stronger action against chatbot services that may expose children to harmful, inaccurate or unverified mental health advice. This could include banning particular services where they are judged to pose a threat to children and where existing regulatory or safety mechanisms are considered insufficient. 

Age assurance and circumvention 

The Government previously confirmed that companies within the scope of the social media ban will need to adopt better age assurance processes to identify whether users are under 16. 

The latest response acknowledges that some children may attempt to circumvent the restrictions by borrowing another person’s device, entering false information or using a virtual private network, or VPN. The Government intends to place responsibility on in-scope platforms to take robust steps to identify and prevent attempts by underage users to bypass age-assurance measures. 

Ofcom, with support from the Information Commissioner’s Office, has been asked to conduct research into how platforms can address the use of VPNs in this context. The Government will also engage with VPN providers to explore voluntary action. However, it has confirmed that it does not intend to ban VPNs or make their use subject to age-gating requirements. 

Digital age of consent 

The Government has confirmed that it will not proceed at this stage with the proposed increase to the age of digital consent. Its response acknowledges the concerns raised by IAB UK and others that raising the age would not directly tackle online harms and could create unintended consequences. 

IAB UK’s consultation response highlighted that increasing the age of digital consent could affect the wider ad-funded web without providing meaningful additional protections for young people. 

The Government has said it remains open to revisiting the issue in future. However, it first wants to assess the effectiveness of the planned social media restrictions and determine whether a higher age of consent would provide any additional protection alongside those measures. 

What happens next? 

The Government has recommitted to laying the first set of regulations required to bring the social media ban into law by the end of 2026. It expects the ban to come into force in spring 2027. 

Alongside the legislative process, the Government plans to introduce support and guidance for families and young people and to work with Ofcom in preparation for the new regime. 

Significant questions remain about how the measures will work in practice. This includes the scope of the social media ban and the specific services that will be subject to the associated requirements. 

The Government has said it will move quickly to develop the detail, working with industry, parents, children, schools and civil society. 

IAB view and next steps 

IAB UK supports the Government’s objective of ensuring that children and young people have safe, age-appropriate experiences online. 

We welcome the decision not to increase the age of digital consent at this stage. As set out in our consultation response, such a change could have unintended consequences for the ad-funded web without delivering additional protections for young people. 

There is, however, still a considerable amount of work to be done on the implementation of the social media ban and the accompanying measures. The Government has set an ambitious timetable for developing and laying the necessary regulations by the end of the year. 

We will continue to monitor developments and update members as further detail emerges and engage with Government and regulators as the technical requirements, scope and enforcement expectations are developed. Our focus will remain on ensuring that any new measures are proportionate, targeted and effective, while avoiding unintended impacts on ad-funded businesses and services.