The Government has announced plans to ban social media platforms from offering services to under-16s, alongside restrictions on high-risk features such as livestreaming and communication with strangers. The measures are expected to be introduced later this year, with implementation from Spring 2027.
This goes beyond a simple platform ban; it reflects a broader shift towards regulating how children experience online harms, including algorithmic exposure and real-time interactions, and introducing stronger age assurance requirements.
What might this mean for schools?
While the duties fall primarily on platforms, there may be knock on implications for schools.
Schools are likely to see increased focus on pupil behaviour and compliance, particularly where students seek to access or use restricted platforms. This raises practical questions around monitoring and responding to breaches on the school site.
There is also likely to be greater parental expectation that schools will support and reinforce these boundaries, particularly through online safety education and clear behavioural standards.
Importantly, the ban reinforces the need for schools to continue to recognise social media and wider online activity as safeguarding risks, even where access is restricted.
In practical terms, schools may want to:
- review behaviour policies to ensure they capture misuse of social media on the school site in breach of the new legal restrictions;
- consider how breaches on the school site will be identified, monitored, and managed within those policies;
- ensure safeguarding policies are keeping pace with evolving online safety risks and regulatory expectations; and
- ensure pupils understand both the rules and the rationale behind the new restrictions through online safety curriculum provision.
The detail will follow, but this is a significant direction of travel - and one schools should start preparing for now.
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