Key facts
- Sources briefed on the proposals said up to 150 platforms could be covered by the under-16 ban.
- The regulations focus on recommender systems and user-generated content, per the report.
- Culture secretary Lisa Nandy is expected to lay the regulations in parliament in December.
- Online safety minister Ian Murray told MPs platforms that comply can fall out of scope.
- Tech industry bodies told the government YouTube Kids stops working without its recommender system.
A planned expansion of the UK's ban on social media for under-16s could bring YouTube Kids, Lego Play and other sites previously thought exempt into scope, according to sources briefed on the government's proposals.
The regulations focus on recommender systems and user-generated content, the report said, and could cover up to 150 platforms. One source close to the talks gave that figure. Spotify, which carries some user-generated content and recommends music and podcasts, could technically be in scope, though the company has sought reassurances it would not be banned because it is not primarily a social platform.
Industry figures questioned the breadth. One said proposals have to be workable and that a situation where eBay, Lego, YouTube Kids and Spotify are unclear whether they comply is unsustainable. Another said the whole internet has a recommender system and the regulation is too broad.
The regulations are due to go to cabinet for signoff in the week of November 9 and are expected to be laid in parliament by culture secretary Lisa Nandy in December, with the ban set to take effect in March. They do not require primary legislation and will be tabled as an addition to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act.
When Keir Starmer announced the ban in June, the government said it would exclude educational services, e-commerce platforms and music streaming through a narrowly defined list of exemptions kept under review. Companies are expected to be briefed on the final proposal in the coming days by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and No 10.
Online safety minister Ian Murray told MPs last week that platforms could fall out of scope by complying with the regulations. He said YouTube Kids and Lego Play would need to demonstrate they did not have harmful algorithms. Tech industry bodies have told the government such platforms cease to function without the recommender system.
Ministers are also looking at a second tranche of regulations in the spring that could cover e-commerce platforms such as Vinted, eBay and Depop. After Nandy confirmed in interviews on Sunday that the government was looking at Vinted and others, officials held a call with retailers on Tuesday where several strongly contested the plans, the report said.