The UK government remains firm in its decision to implement social media restrictions for users under 16, despite concerns from the United States. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed on June 9 that the UK will proceed with these regulations aimed at enhancing child online safety, dismissing objections raised by the US embassy mere days earlier.
With new measures proposed, social media platforms will be required to enforce age restrictions or functionality limits for their younger users, responding to a public consultation that gathered over 116,000 responses between March and May 2026.
This initiative builds on the Online Safety Act of 2023, which established accountability for harmful content, further enhanced by the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act of 2026. Notably, non-compliance can lead to significant penalties, including fines of up to 10% of global revenue or a maximum of £18 million.
Countries like Australia have already adopted similar measures, indicating a global trend towards stricter age verification processes. On December 10, 2025, Australia introduced under-16 regulations, which affected approximately 4.7 million accounts shortly after.
The U.S. government voiced its objections on June 5, 2026, arguing that these regulations disproportionately affect American companies and raise implementation concerns regarding age verification for users aged 13 to 16. In response, the UK government has remained resolute, prioritizing child safety measures at the heart of its policy framework, as echoed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
This development is critical for crypto and Web3 sectors, particularly regarding decentralized identity systems that could be essential for scaling age verification protocols. Social media platforms operating without compliance could face severe limitations, as the UK government has shown willingness to enforce measures like ISP-level blocking. If successful, this penalty structure could extend to other regulatory areas such as financial promotion, anti-money laundering, and consumer protection.