Britain's Social Media Ban for Under-16s Forces Platforms to Verify Age—and Face Heavy Fines

Britain announced in June it will ban social media for under-16s, with enforcement through Ofcom—a regulator that can fine companies up to 10% of global earnings. Platforms must check users' ages through documents or device tracking, raising privacy concerns under UK data law. Australia tried something similar recently. Key questions remain unresolved: which platform features the ban covers, and who's liable when age checks fail.