Petition
Raise the minimum age for social media accounts to 16 In the UK
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Introduce a law to raise the minimum age for social media accounts to 16. Require platforms to use robust age verification to enforce this and protect young people’s mental health, wellbeing, and safety online.
Social media is linked to rising rates of anxiety, depression, poor sleep, and harmful content exposure in children. Under-16s are especially vulnerable. Other countries, including Australia, are introducing stricter laws to protect children online. The UK must act now to prioritise child safety over corporate profit.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:
Ban social media for under-16s to protect children
Ban social media for under-16s to protect children
Ban social media for under-16s to protect children
Ban social media for under-16s to protect children
Timeline
| 1 Oct 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 7 Nov 2025 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
7 Nov 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 27 Jul 2026.