Cabinet sign-off and December timetable

The UK social media ban for under-16s may catch far more than the government originally intended. Sources briefed on the proposals say the rules could inadvertently lead to a ban on YouTube Kids and other sites that had been thought exempt, and games platforms such as Lego Play could also be covered. One source close to the talks said up to 150 platforms could now be covered by the ban, which is set to come into force in March.

Procedurally, the regulations go for cabinet sign-off this week, and culture secretary Lisa Nandy is expected to lay them in parliament in December. They need no primary legislation in the Commons and will be tabled as an addition to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act.

Why the net is cast wide

Ministers are understood to be keen for a catch-all approach that limits workarounds for the ban. That follows criticism of Australia's ban, where teens were said to switch to new platforms or use innocuous sites to message.

Tech companies, industry groups and MPs have been told the working proposal focuses on recommender systems and user-generated content. Under those proposals, Spotify could technically fall in scope, and the music streaming service has sought reassurances that it would not face a ban because it is not primarily a social platform.

The breadth is a change from June, when Keir Starmer announced the ban and the government said it would exclude educational services, e-commerce platforms and music streaming, promising "a narrowly defined list of exemptions to the definitions which will be kept under review". Tech companies are lobbying that removing the recommender algorithm would make it impossible for their sites to function.

Industry pushback on workability

An industry source said the uncertainty around compliance is unsustainable:

A second industry figure argued the definition sweeps in nearly everything online, saying the regulation was simply too broad because ministers wanted it broad and legally airtight to be ready for any eventuality.

The messaging features of shopping sites are already contested. After Nandy confirmed on Sunday the government was looking at Vinted and other e-commerce platforms, officials held a call with retailers on Tuesday where several are understood to have strongly contested the plans.

An industry figure said it would be illogical for the government to continue to allow messaging apps such as WhatsApp and iMessage while banning platforms like Vinted and eBay for their messaging capabilities. MPs and campaigners told Nandy that teenagers and groomers can find innovative ways to communicate on platforms that allow unknown or anonymous user messaging, such as those websites.

Ministers on how platforms fall out of scope

Online safety minister Ian Murray confirmed to MPs last week that the government was examining such sites in the next tranche of regulations, which examines "features and functions" and is expected next spring. A second tranche in the spring could cover e-commerce platforms such as Vinted, eBay and Depop.

Murray told MPs that platforms which redesigned their services to remove harmful or addictive functions would have a route to removing themselves from the banned list, and said: "The way back is to comply with the regulations and fall out of scope."

He also pointed to new features pulling services in: in Murray's account, platforms once outside the rules may be brought inside when they add functions unlike those of the social media sites being regulated, citing Spotify's introduction of stranger conversation functionality as an example.

Murray told MPs: "I would say that currently the government's position is that, yes, there has to be an off-ramp" for a service that complies with all the regulations. He added that platforms such as YouTubeKids and LegoPlay would need to demonstrate they did not have harmful algorithms.

Tech industry bodies told the government that platforms such as YouTube Kids cease to function without the recommender system, making the "off ramp" impossible to comply with. DCMS has been approached to comment.

Companies are to be briefed on the final proposal in the coming days by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and No 10, before Lisa Nandy is expected to lay the regulations in parliament in December.