UK Considers Extending Under-16s Ban to Resale Apps
UK ministers are considering whether to bar under-16s from resale platforms such as Depop, eBay and Facebook Marketplace, over concerns that private messaging on the sites enables child exploitation. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the government is "looking seriously" at expanding the under-16s social media ban to include online marketplaces.
The concern centres on private messages sent to people selling secondhand goods. The Guardian reported on 13 November 2026 that sexualised comments have been sent via direct messages on reselling apps that list children's secondhand clothes.
The Children's Society, a charity that works with young people, has warned that young users of resale sites are increasingly being asked for indecent photos in exchange for money or gifts. The same report says photos of young resale-platform users have been manipulated with AI into nude deepfakes, meaning fabricated images that show people naked, without their consent.
Not every marketplace has the same age rules. Vinted, another resale site, has a minimum age of 18.
According to The Guardian, it is understood that regulations for the under-16s ban have been sent for cabinet sign-off, meaning approval from the government's senior ministers. Nandy is expected to present them to Parliament in December 2026.
