Ministers are considering banning under-16s from online reselling platforms such as Depop, eBay, and Facebook Marketplace. This follows mounting fears that private messaging functions on these sites are being used for child exploitation.
The Children's Society has reported that some young users of resale sites are increasingly being asked for indecent photos in exchange for money or gifts. Additionally, some photos of young users posted on these platforms have reportedly been manipulated into nudes using AI without consent.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy stated on Sunday that the government is "looking seriously" at expanding the under-16s social media ban to include online marketplaces. Regulations for this expansion were reportedly sent for cabinet signoff this week, with Nandy expected to present them to parliament in December.
Vinted, which has an 18-year-old minimum age policy, would need to implement strict age verification features if the ban is extended. Depop states users must be 13 or over to create an account, while Ofcom found 15% of eight to 14-year-olds use Vinted monthly.
Some child safety campaigners, like Karen Garland of the Marie Collins Foundation, have expressed concerns that a sweeping ban could exclude children from the internet entirely, suggesting that making spaces safer by design might be a better approach.