The British government is expected to present proposals within weeks to regulate social media for teenagers under 16. Rather than a blanket ban, limiting addictive features such as infinite scroll and automatic video playback is being widely discussed.

Tech outlet TechRadar reported on May 27 that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would act “very, very quickly” after consulting the public and families. The direction being discussed is closer to changing platform design than blocking social media use outright for those under 16.

A backdrop is doubts about the effectiveness of an outright block. The report said that even in places with strong rules, such as Australia, users under 16 found workarounds or moved to other online spaces with looser regulation. That has helped push alternatives aimed at reducing addiction and exposure to risks rather than blocking access itself.

The first measures being discussed are limits on infinite scroll and autoplay. Infinite scroll is a structure in which content continues without end, as on TikTok or Instagram. Autoplay plays the next video immediately as users move through a feed. These structures are seen as a key tool for increasing time spent on the service. The report said a court ruling in California identified infinite scroll as a core complaint element that heightens addiction.

Limits on alerts and push notifications are also being discussed. Notifications such as new messages, comments and new posts from followed accounts are tools to pull users back into an app. The British government could consider blocking these at the app level or disabling notifications at the iPhone and Android device level for accounts linked to minors.

Restrictions on likes and comments are also among the candidates. In that case, teenagers would use services in an environment with fewer reaction features even if they post content. The report noted that these features can be abused for harassment or used as a channel for malicious users to build intimacy and then exploit it.

Limits on recommendation algorithms are also a key issue. Platforms analyse viewing time, likes, comments and scrolling habits to keep showing content tailored to interests. If such functions are blocked, feeds become less personalised, but it could help cut time spent online or ease the pull of teenagers into more dangerous online groups, the report said. It added that algorithms promote content users are likely to engage with, not content they should see.

Platforms have a separate preferred alternative. Social media companies have argued for device-level age restrictions rather than applying regulation by service. Under that structure, Apple and Google would verify a phone user’s age and adjust app access accordingly. The British House of Lords also raised that approach in December 2025.

Device-level restrictions are favoured by platforms because they can reduce differences in regulatory standards. For users, an advantage is not having to repeatedly submit age-verification information to multiple platforms. That is because it can reduce the risk of personal data being spread across services.

A total ban has not been completely ruled out. But there is a view that broader blanket bans have become less likely. Another point to watch is whether the government will consider restricting access to virtual private networks, or VPNs, which are cited as a way to bypass limits. VPNs can evade regional restrictions by changing location information, making them a common workaround when rules differ by country.