Featured Image Credit: Epic Games
It's the dawn of a new era for the United Kingdom and its 70 million residents, and while the country is accused of introducing a Big Brother-inspired ban on social media for under-16s, others have cheered the change as a way to keep kids safe online.
We've already seen Australia make the first move when it initiated its own social media ban for minors and threatened those who don't comply with a hefty $49.5 million AUD ($32.86 million USD) fine. The UK has seen its own clampdown with the infamous Pornhub saga, where one of the world's most-visited sites was told to add third-party verification and then promptly banned new users from setting up accounts in protest.
Elsewhere, there have been further restrictions as choking pornography has been reclassified as a criminal offense and could carry a sentence of up to five years in prison. With the new social media ban for under-16s coming into play, the UK government is set to have an adverse effect on the world of gaming.
Even though you go around blasting each other with guns, Fortnite is known as a family-friendly outing. In November 2023, Epic Games made sweeping changes to how cosmetics and islands work in Fortnite, adding ESRB-like ratings to stop kids running around as a Xenomorph. As for Roblox, it's about as kiddy-friendly as they come and boasts some 85 million daily active users, with a huge chunk of that being the under-16 market.
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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the social media ban, saying that the UK government will show that it stands by concerned parents by helping "fight for their happiness and safety against the most powerful companies in the world." He added: "I am not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children, and that is why this ban must happen, and that is why this ban will happen."
With this, Fortnite and Roblox's chat features are set to go dark for minors. Referring specifically to video games, Starmer continued: "We're taking world-leading action on gaming services and livestreaming platforms, where, at the moment, strangers can contact any child unchecked."
Asking the general public to think about it, Starmer said: "Is there a situation in the offline world, where you just let your child pair up with a stranger? An adult that you don't know anything about? No, so we're taking action on that."
Moving forward, there will be a block on all functions that allow strangers to communicate with under-16s, while there will also be default restrictions on under-17s "to prevent a cliff-edge at 16."
While the likes of Fortnite and Minecraft have parental controls where guardians can limit some of their social features, Roblox is facing lawsuits from states including Texas and Kentucky. In a particularly charged statement in November 2025, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Roblox Corporation was putting "pixel pedophiles and corporate profit" over the safety of the state's children.
Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan had already warned that gaming would be in the government's crosshairs, saying that a recent trip to Australia had him worried about 'stranger pairing' where adults can easily contact children on certain platforms.
Speaking to Sky News, Children's Commissioner Rachel de Souza explained: "Boys often aren’t on social media. They’re often spending three or four hours a day gaming. And those games often have features that allow a 55-year-old in Arizona to come in and speak to a nine-year-old...
"I wouldn’t be calling it a ban on children – I’d be calling it a ban and restriction on services that are not suitable for under-18s."
While some have accused the UK government of rolling out draconian changes, it appears to be standing by its decision. One champion is Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, who called this a 'bold' move in "creating a safer, healthier life online" for current and future generations. Calling tech companies to task, Kendall reiterated: "Tech companies have had countless opportunities to keep children safe, yet they have failed to act. That is why we are taking power away from the tech giants and putting it back in parents’ hands.
"My driving force has always been to give every child, from every background, the best possible start in life. That is what these regulations will deliver."
The government states that the action has been backed by 9 in 10 parents and is expected to be enacted by Parliament before Christmas, with protections expected then being brought in at the start of 2027.
