What the UK’s proposed under-16 social media ban could mean for fashion businesses

Earlier this year, the UK government revealed plans to prevent social media platforms from being accessible to people under 16. While the announcement sparked heightened debate, drawing both opposition and support, it aligns the UK with other countries considering similar restrictions on user-to-user platforms, including Australia, which enforced its ban in late 2025.

The proposed ban is expected to apply to platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, which have become major parts of the youth marketing infrastructure of fashion brands. Many have shaped their communication strategies around such sites, making their potential inaccessibility a concern.

Brands need to ask: ‘How do we become part of culture in a more meaningful way?’

Yet, while the policy could impact these strategies, brands are being urged not to treat social media as the audience itself. Sonal Haria and Sanjeev Jandu, co-founders of The CB Consulting Group, suggested that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are not inherently “social media audiences” and that, while social platforms may have been the vehicle through which communities have formed, the underlying need is connection, belonging and participation.

“If restrictions reduce direct access to younger users, this is the time brands shouldn’t be asking, ‘How do we replace TikTok?’ but ‘How do we become part of culture in a more meaningful way?’” the duo said in a joint statement to FashionUnited.

Haria and Jandu noted that, if a ban were to come into effect, a first major strategic response could see brands moving from mass reach to smaller, more engaged communities. “I believe we'll see a return to grassroots marketing and the power of micro-communities instead of chasing mass reach, brands will need to invest in smaller, highly engaged communities - whether that's through schools, sports clubs, local events, creators with genuine influence, university networks, or interest-based groups. These spaces foster trust in a way that paid advertising often can't and build a brand world that feels authentic,” they explained.

The key here is moving from passive exposure to active participation, which can be achieved through brand-led community initiatives, such as insider apps with AI-powered try-ons, WhatsApp consumer communities, in-store activities, touring pop-ups and workshops, all of which Haria and Jandu said would be key to building communities.

Challenging the reliance on social-first metrics

What will also come into question if the ban moves ahead is social-first performance metrics. The CB Consulting Group co-founders urge brands to challenge the industry’s reliance on impressions, views and follower counts, noting that while engagement, such as viral reach, may create visibility, it doesn’t necessarily equate to trust, loyalty or conversion. Instead, brands should look to repeat purchases, recommendation rates, programme participation, customer retention and other measures that track the health of their communities instead of the size of their audience.

“The strongest metric in the future won’t be reach, it will be advocacy,” the duo said. “When people choose to champion your brand because they feel part of it, you’ve built something far more resilient than an audience, you’ve built a community. And communities don’t disappear when an algorithm changes.”

Naturally, with a potential restriction on the digital ecosystem, the chance that experiential retail and physical spaces becoming more relied upon is increasingly viable. Haria and Jandu believe that brands will increasingly need to invest less in chasing attention and more in earning trust, with physical spaces potentially evolving beyond their traditional transactional role.

“I do believe we'll see an accelerated return to community and experiential marketing, but in a more intentional way than we've seen before. Experiences will no longer exist simply to create content for social media, they'll exist to build genuine relationships,” they said. “That could mean everything from local pop-ups and workshops to founder-led conversations, collaborations with schools, universities and grassroots organisations, or creating spaces where customers can learn, connect and contribute.”

Experiential retail acceleration doesn’t equate to digital disappearance

Retail, they added, could become a more important part of this shift, with physical spaces acting as community hubs where consumers can discover brands, attend events and meet creators. The result could be a model in which stores and other physical touchpoints are designed to build participation and connection, beyond simply enabling a purchase.

In Australia, this progression has been clear throughout the market in the wake of the country's own social media ban. Local fashion brand White Fox Boutique, which has historically built visibility through social media and influencer marketing, has turned to more traditional out-of-home advertising, including billboards and bus wraps, following the introduction of Australia’s restrictions. While it's too early to determine whether a long-term strategic shift is underway, White Fox illustrates how brands may look to move beyond algorithm visibility to using physical spaces and real-world media in retaining awareness among younger consumers.

However, this pivot should not be seen as a move away from digital altogether. Haria and Jandu said that emerging platforms, AI-powered discovery and new forms of digital engagement will continue to influence how consumers find brands. The difference, they argued, is that fashion businesses may need to become less dependent on any single platform or algorithm.

“At the same time, I don't think it's a case of old channels versus new channels. We'll continue to see emerging platforms, AI-powered discovery and new forms of digital engagement reshape how people find brands. But regardless of the technology, the underlying principle remains the same: people trust people more than algorithms. Brands that empower creators, nurture micro-communities and encourage genuine peer-to-peer advocacy will always have an advantage,” they said.

For some brands, this could also create an opportunity to explore channels that offer a more tangible form of engagement. Haria and Jandu pointed to partnerships with broadcast, television and magazines, as well as the growing appeal of print and branded merchandise, as potential ways for brands to connect with younger consumers beyond the screen.

Marketing budgets need to pivot to community management and partnerships

The question isn’t necessarily whether social media marketing disappears, but whether its position at the centre of the marketing funnel becomes less secure. Many fashion brands have built teams, budgets and growth strategies around social-first marketing, and the proposed restrictions could force them to reallocate investment towards community management, brand partnerships, experiential marketing, grassroots initiatives and customer experience.

“I don't think the answer is to reduce marketing investment - I think it's to rethink where that investment goes. This isn't about downsizing marketing teams; it's about restructuring the areas of focus to reflect how consumer behaviour is evolving,” Haria and Jandu said.

The pair also suggested that brands should use the moment to consider the wider influence they have on younger generations. Rather than competing for more screen time, they said fashion businesses could invest in initiatives that foster creativity, confidence, entrepreneurship, sustainability and self-expression through education, mentorship, local programmes and experiences that bring people together.

“Further it is an opportunity for brands to partner with other types of media outlets, broadcast, TV and magazines, they can tap into the 'analogue trend' that Gen Alpha with print media or branded merchandise for example offering their audience something tangible,” they added.

Visibility is not the same as relevance

Ultimately, the proposed restriction challenges the long-standing assumption that visibility is the same as relevance. While the future of youth marketing will undoubtedly continue to include digital platforms, the brands best positioned for a changing landscape may be those that build relationships that can exist beyond them.

“The future belongs to brands that create ecosystems rather than audiences. Instead of asking, ‘How do we reach more people?’ they'll ask, ‘How do we create a community people genuinely want to be part of?’ That's where long-term loyalty is built, and where brands can make a positive impact by fostering confidence, creativity and connection rather than simply competing for attention,” Haria and Jandu stated.

Fashion companies will now need to monitor the details of how the restrictions are implemented. The government has published its full response to the consultation, with the first regulations are expected to be laid before Parliament by the end of 2026 before the new rules are then anticipated to come into force in spring 2027. Ofcom is also due to deliver an assessment by the end of October on how age assurance measures could be used to determine whether a user is over 16. It is around this time that the final definition of which services fall within scope and where exemptions may lie for e-commerce and other digital platforms will also become more clear.

Fashion brands therefore need to begin scenario planning now instead of waiting for the final regulations, reviewing their reliance on individual platforms and considering how they would maintain discovery, engagement and customer relationships if access to younger audiences changes.