Earlier this week, the UK Government announced that it would be consulting on a social media ban for children under 16.
Following Australia’s ban in December 2025, the Government says that this proposal is to “protect young people’s wellbeing and ensure safer online experiences”.
But while some experts and charities have voiced concerns about the proposal, ecommerce businesses could also see an impact on their sales — particularly those that rely on young children as a target audience.
With millions of children using social media platforms, restrictions could force brands to rethink how they reach younger audiences.
However, with the rise of adults buying kids’ toys and collectibles, it could also be an opportunity for businesses to turn their focus to adult collectors who spend for fun and nostalgia.
What is the social media ban proposal?
Building on its Online Safety Act, the Government is developing a plan to improve children’s online wellbeing and protect them from harmful content.
This includes consulting on whether to set a minimum age for social media access, or even explore a potential ban for children under a certain age, strengthening age assurance and verification, and looking at restricting addictive platform features (such as infinite scrolling).
Technology Secretary Liz Kendell commented: “Through the Online Safety Act, the government has already taken clear, concrete steps to deliver a safer online world for our children and young people.”
This consultation follows just a month after Australia announced its ban on social media for under 16s. In the country, anyone under this age can no longer keep or make accounts on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or Snapchat.
The impact on ecommerce and online retailers
The Government’s consultation was only released this week, and no measures have been enforced yet.
However, if the ban were to move forward, this could significantly affect sales for online retailers — including social commerce platforms like TikTok Shop and Instagram Shop.
Melissa Symonds, Executive Director of UK toys at Circana, notes that online platforms like TikTok are increasingly shaping trends and consumer demand, and that toy companies are closely watching developments following Australia’s ban and the UK’s considerations.
“If bans were introduced more widely, manufacturers and retailers would need to rethink how some products are marketed,” she said.
This could mean changing from child-focused social media campaigns to advertising on channels targeting parents or caregivers, investing in other channels (such as email marketing), and adapting branding to appeal to a broader family audience, rather than directly to children.
Kidults” could help offset sales losses
If a social media ban were to be enforced for under-16s, the rise of adults buying kids’ toys and collectables — known as “kidults” — could potentially make up a portion of sales. If you run a toy or child-centred business, you could help to offset losses from younger audiences by implementing new marketing strategies aimed at this growing demographic.
In November 2025, Circana reported that the UK toy market reached £3.9bn. Kidults accounted for £1 in every £3 spend — equalling £1.2bn of the total toy spend. It also found that 43% of young adults had purchased a toy either for themselves or another adult.
What’s more, research by Limelight Digital found that 18 to 24-year-olds were the most dominant age group on TikTok, accounting for 32.8% of the platform’s user base — creating an opportunity for online stores to target young adult consumers with trend-driven products.
For example, cuddly toy brand Jellycat overtook LEGO as the most searched-for toy brand in September 2025, with 40% of Jellycat-related searches coming from users aged 18 to 34. Similarly, orders for PopMart Labubus on TikTok Shop (in which users are required to be 18 or over), increased by 819% between March and May 2025.
Whether a social media ban happens or not, the evident appeal for toys and collectibles among adults gives businesses an opportunity to tap into the “joy economy”, where happiness and emotional experiences matter more than functionality.
