Threat of social media ban jolted tech giants into action before it was even announced

Roblox has revealed new safety measures, just as the government announces it will ban under-16s from social media and potentially some gaming platforms… like Roblox. 

The company insists its new measures are simply a response to feedback that "Roblox was complicated" and are not an attempt to avoid being banned in the UK or elsewhere.

The new accounts are rolling out globally today and were first announced in April.

But the timing is, for Roblox, a happy coincidence - one we have seen repeatedly of late.

After Australia introduced its social media ban last December, the threat of action from governments around the world suddenly became very real.

As it stands, 42 countries have either banned or are planning to ban young people from social media, according to Tech Policy Press.

And in the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a ban that goes even further than Australia's, including a ban on 'stranger-pairing' in video games.

The threat of legislation alone seemed to be enough to make some of the world's biggest tech companies clean up their act.

So, is the government managing to get what it wants when it comes to online safety… without actually doing anything?

Almost every major platform has examples: as of last month, parents can now block their children from endlessly scrolling on YouTube Shorts.

In March, Instagram announced parents will now receive notifications if their child repeatedly searches for suicide and self-harm content.

Less than three weeks ago, Snapchat announced that adult strangers will no longer be able to contact children on their platform.

And now Roblox is bringing in Roblox Kids and Select - restricted accounts designed to stop children from accessing chat and harmful games.

Sources within government yesterday confirmed that if a company were to create platforms for young people where they were ringfenced off from harmful features, they would likely avoid being banned.

But the online safety minister, Kanishka Narayan, told Sky News he won't stop the restrictions coming in just because of tweaks by some companies.

"I was hearing from thousands of parents across the country that their children were experiencing a series of harms online and so we're not going to be influenced by whether companies are tweaking things and promising the future," he said. "We are focused on the present situation for children in this country."

But the tech companies themselves argue that by banning young people from their platforms, now re-enforced with added safety features, children will end up on more dangerous, unregulated sites.

(c) Sky News 2026: Threat of social media ban jolted tech giants into action before it was even announced