The UK government’s June 2026 announcement of an under-16 social media ban, delivered through secondary legislation under the Online Safety Act 2023 as amended by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, remains the central driver of trader positioning. Regulations covering platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, and X are scheduled to be laid before Parliament by the end of 2026, with enforcement targeted for spring 2027 following Ofcom’s work on highly effective age assurance. A national consultation showing strong parental support, local restriction trials in cities like Bradford, and parallel measures restricting livestreaming and stranger contact for under-18s have reinforced the timeline. Ongoing Ofcom enforcement actions and platform legal challenges introduce limited procedural uncertainty, but no legislative delays or reversals have emerged to date. Markets tracking an earlier effective date will hinge on whether regulators meet the year-end laying deadline and whether age-verification systems are operational by the resolution window.