The UK government is considering extending its planned under-16 social media ban to online marketplaces including Depop, eBay and Facebook Marketplace, according to the Sunday Times, over concerns that private messaging functions are being used for child exploitation. Vinted, which sets a minimum age of 18, would also have to introduce age verification. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said on Sunday the government was looking seriously at the move. The regulations were sent for cabinet signoff this week and Nandy is expected to present them to parliament in December.
The Children's Society warned that some young users of resale sites are increasingly being asked for indecent photos in exchange for money or gifts, and that some photos of young users have been AI deepfaked into nudes without consent. Hannah, a mother, said she listed her seven-year-old daughter's swimming costume on Vinted in June for £1 and received a sexualised message from a user, whom she blocked and reported. Lucy, who began reselling on Depop at 15, said a buyer offered to raise the price of a £10 item to £30 if she included her underwear. She later found images of herself taken before she turned 18 circulating on Reddit after being scraped from Depop, and about two years ago found users on Discord had used AI to make nude deepfakes of her.
Vinted said minors can only access the site under adult supervision, while Depop requires users to be 13 or older and 18 or older for PayPal and Depop payment systems. Ofcom found that 15% of eight to 14-year-olds use Vinted each month. Karen Garland, head of policy at the Marie Collins Foundation, said extending a ban into other spaces may not be the best route and that spaces should be safer by design. Vinted, eBay and Depop each said they have policies and tools to remove inappropriate content and act on violations.