Consultation outcome

Growing up in the online world: children and young people's summary

Updated 15 July 2026

This document is written especially for children and young people.

1. Why are changes happening?

Our aim is for every young person to have the best start in life. - We asked people all across the UK how to make the online world better for children like you, and 116,211 people shared their ideas, including children, parents, teachers, as well as many organisations. - We are making changes so young people can use technology in safer and more positive ways. This document explains everything the government has said it plans to do - Parliament will have to approve the new laws before any plans come into effect.

The government wants the online world to be safer, fairer and more positive for you.

We asked lots of people, including children and young people like you, what should change to make this happen. We also asked parents, teachers, experts and organisations across the UK about this.

Lots of people shared their views, including at least 14,000 children and young people through the consultation and 100s of events right across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Those of you who responded to the consultation told us that being online can be fun and helpful. It can help you stay in touch with friends, learn new things, be creative and use useful tools.

But you also told us that you worry about things like:

• seeing upsetting content
• online bullying
• spending too much time online
• strangers being able to contact you
• risky features, like livestreaming or sharing photos and videos with people you do not know

That is why the government is planning new rules. The goal is to make the online world safer, fairer and better for your wellbeing. To make it a good place to spend your time. We want it to be a place where you can feel in control of how you use it, not controlled by it.

2. What is changing for under 16s?

Two thirds of children who responded to the consultation told us that they would support age restrictions for under 16s on at least some social media. 90% of parents told us they would support under-16s not being allowed on social media.

If you are under 16, the government plans to stop social media companies from offering their services to you.

This means that once the rules start, likely in Spring 2027, if you are under 16 you will not be able to keep using social media services that are covered by the new rules, even if you have permission from a parent or carer.

The government will set out more detail later this year about exactly which services the rules will apply to.

Australia has brought in similar restrictions, and we intend to implement a similar model. In Australia, services like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, Bluesky YouTube, Kick and Reddit are restricted from offering their services to under 16s.

Through the consultation, you told us that you use the internet for lots of positive reasons - to talk to friends, learn, be creative and have fun. The government will make sure there are still safe and positive ways for you to connect, learn and enjoy time online and offline.

Messaging services will not be covered by these social media restrictions.

Through the consultation, children told us that they support restricting these functionalities: Sending explicit images (63%), connecting to strangers (49%) and livestreaming (45%).

These new rules are not only about social media. Some other online services, such as gaming services, will also need to make changes. If you are under 16, they will not be able to offer you certain risky features, such as livestreaming or ways for strangers to communicate with you.

3. What is changing for 16- and 17-year-olds?

On social media and some other online services, you will have risky functionalities like livestreaming or ways for strangers to contact you switched off automatically.

Children also told us that they supported setting limits for how long you can use an app each day (48%) and not letting children use certain apps at night (54%).

If you are 16- and 17-years-old, social media services will also need to give you extra automatic protections to help encourage a healthier use of social media. This means:

• limits on using social media at night between midnight and 6am, including notifications
• limits on features that encourage you to keep scrolling, such as autoplay and personalised feeds.

As you get older, we recognise that you should have more independence and choice, which is why the government is taking a more balanced approach. These settings are designed to help older children like you sleep, study, spend time offline and feel more in control and provide extra protections from risky features.

They will be switched on automatically, but you will be able to change them if you do not feel like you need them.

3.1 AI Chatbots

Those of you who responded to the consultation also told us that you are worried about AI chatbots.

Through the consultation, children told us that some AI chatbot features are risky for children, particularly chatbots acting like a boyfriend or girlfriend (84%). 59% of young people told us that they wanted restrictions on chatbots that encouraged longer conversations.

Chatbots can sometimes be useful for learning, finding information or getting ideas. But chatbots can also pose risks too.

For instance, they may try and keep you talking for extended periods, make you feel like it’s a real person or they may sometimes not help you in the right way if your mental health isn’t in a good place.

That’s why in future, chatbots will need to ensure you have a break when you have been using the chatbot for a long time.

4. What this means for you

You will still be able to use lots of online services, including:

• school and learning websites
• news and games
• messaging services
• safe ways to stay in touch with friends and family
• services that redesign themselves to be safe for children

Age checks: Companies will need to do a better job of knowing how old their users are. They might ask you for proof of age or use accurate technology to estimate how old you are. We want  to ensure that your data and your privacy will be protected when these checks are made and that they are accessible and practical for young people

Education: We will also ensure there are more lessons in schools on navigating the online world safety starting from September. We want you to learn more about how to stay safe online and how to think critically about what you see online. The government is also working with youth organisations, libraries, community groups and charities so you can learn these skills in trusted places outside school too.

Schools will also be ensuring mobile phones are not available during the school day so you can focus on studying and spending time with your friends.

What happens next: You do not need to do anything right now. Nothing is changing immediately. The government will continue to engage with you to ensure your views are heard as we develop and implement this policy. We will also share clear information with you before anything changes and support you to find better online and offline experiences. We expect changes to start in Spring 2027.

Support for children: If you are worried about the changes, you do not have to deal with it on your own. You can speak to an adult you trust, like a parent or carer, and we will make sure that you know where to find clear advice and support both online and offline. If you need urgent help for your mental health, you can get help from NHS 111 online or call 111. Alternatively, you can also contact www.childline.org.uk.

Support for families and caregivers: Parents and carers will get more help to support you online. The government will provide clearer advice and practical tools to help families manage online lives.

The government will keep listening to you, keep sharing information in ways that are easy to understand, and keep working with you to make the online world safer and better.