UK Weighs Banning Under-16s From Vinted and eBay Over Grooming Fears
Britain's culture secretary says ministers are "looking seriously" at adding online marketplaces to a planned under-16s social media ban due in 2027.
The British government is considering extending its planned social media ban for children under 16 to online marketplaces such as Vinted and eBay, a move that would put the fast-growing secondhand resale industry under the same age restrictions as Instagram and TikTok. Lisa Nandy, the UK’s culture secretary, said on Sunday that ministers were weighing the step because messaging tools on those sites could let strangers contact and groom children.
Asked on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg program whether she would widen the ban to cover such websites, Nandy said: “We are looking seriously at doing so in order to keep children safe,” according to reports by LBC and The National, a Scottish newspaper.
What happened
Nandy’s comments followed a report in The Sunday Times, a British newspaper, that she was considering the change. According to that report, as cited by The National, the platforms under review include Vinted, Depop, eBay and Facebook Marketplace. The Sunday Times said Nandy could move to extend the ban to marketplaces in the spring.
The broader under-16s ban is due to take effect in March 2027, LBC reported. Nandy is expected to publish later this year a list of the social media services that will be barred from having users under 16. Facebook, Instagram and X are expected to be on that list, and LBC said YouTube, excluding its children’s version YouTube Kids, is also expected to be included. The final list has not yet been released.
The National reported that regulations confirming the ban are expected by the end of 2026. Prime Minister Andy Burnham intends to proceed with the age-based restriction, which was announced by his predecessor, Keir Starmer, toward the end of Starmer’s time in office.
Why it matters
Resale apps have become a major part of how British families buy and sell clothes, toys and household goods, and they are widely used by young people. LBC cited research from Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, showing that about 19% of children aged 8 to 14 use eBay frequently and about 15% use Vinted frequently. The National noted that Vinted has said its sales neared £1 billion last year.
Bringing marketplaces into the ban would mark a significant widening of what counts as a restricted platform. Until now, the debate over children’s online safety has focused largely on social networks and video apps rather than commercial sites where users trade goods.
Child protection groups have welcomed the discussion. Rani Govender, head of child safety online at the NSPCC, a British children’s charity, said the culture secretary was “right to consider a wider range of platforms,” LBC reported. Govender pointed out that Vinted and eBay already set a minimum user age of 18, and said the real test is how the government and Ofcom will make sure age checks are actually enforced.
The Children’s Society, another charity, warned that some young users on online selling platforms are being asked for indecent photos in exchange for money or gifts, according to LBC.
How companies and regulators are responding
An eBay spokesperson said the company looked forward to “understanding more and continuing to work constructively with the government,” LBC reported. Vinted had not commented, according to the reports.
Enforcement remains a central question. Last month, Ofcom said age checks could significantly support the plan to keep under-16s off social media, but acknowledged that some children would still find ways around them, The National reported. The regulator identified four methods it considers potentially highly effective:
- checks through banking details
- photo identification
- digital ID
- facial age estimation technology
Ofcom said the risk of children circumventing the rules cannot be eliminated entirely.
What comes next
The UK is following Australia, which became the first country to fully bar children under 16 from social media, largely over safety concerns. Children there have reportedly found ways to get around the restrictions, and the British government has said it intends to adopt a tougher approach, LBC reported.
No decision on marketplaces has been announced. The key milestones ahead are the publication of the list of banned social media platforms later this year, the regulations expected by year-end, and any move on marketplaces that The Sunday Times said could come in the spring, ahead of the ban’s March 2027 start. For platforms such as Vinted and eBay, a ban would likely mean introducing stricter age verification for UK users, while families who rely on resale sites would need to adjust how younger teenagers take part in buying and selling online.
