The Government is seriously considering extending its planned social media ban for under-16s to online sales platforms such as eBay and Vinted, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said. The move would affect 12.2 million under-16s in the UK, almost 18 per cent of the population.
Asked on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg whether she would extend the ban to the websites, Ms Nandy said: "We are looking seriously at doing so in order to keep children safe." The comments follow a report in the Sunday Times that the Culture Secretary is mulling over the move.
Which platforms could be affected
The ban is being considered amid fears that messaging functions on the marketplaces could allow strangers to groom children. According to the Sunday Times, Vinted, Depop, eBay and Facebook Marketplace are among those which could face the ban.
Ms Nandy will later this year publish details of which social media platforms will be banned from having users under 16 years old. This is expected to include Facebook, Instagram and X, but the Sunday Times reported she could go further in the spring and extend the ban to marketplaces.
Age checks under scrutiny
Rani Govender, head of child safety online at the NSPCC, said the Culture Secretary was "right to consider a wider range of platforms". She added: "Vinted and eBay already have a minimum age of 18, so the real question is how the Government and Ofcom will ensure highly effective age checks are implemented and enforced to stop children accessing them in the first place."
