UK children's social media ban could cover music and gaming platforms

The legislation prepared to limit children's social media use in the UK is planned to be expanded to cover music, video, and online gaming services to prevent the bans from being circumvented by moving to different platforms.

British authorities are prioritizing the technical features of platforms rather than just their primary purposes when defining the scope of the new regulation. Particularly, user-generated content and algorithms offering personalized recommendations are among the main criteria of the bill. Accordingly, music services, video platforms, and online gaming sites that are not traditionally considered social media are also being evaluated due to their content recommendation systems.

Keeping the scope this broad has sparked reactions from the tech sector and companies. Industry representatives argue that overly broad criteria lump digital platforms serving different purposes into the same category. Pointing out that platforms like YouTube Kids and Spotify deliver age-appropriate content to users using recommendation systems, companies are demanding that the rules be clarified and an operable framework be established.