Government looking at banning under-16s from Vinted and eBay

Vinted and eBay could be included in the list of platforms set to banned for under-16s, the culture secretary has said.

Lisa Nandy said the government was "looking seriously" at including the retailing websites in the social media ban "in order to keep children safe".

The UK's social media ban for those under the age of 16 is set to come into force in March next year, with children barred from accessing platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

In response, eBay said it was looking forward to "understanding more and continuing to work constructively with the government". Vinted has not responded to requests for comment.

Asked on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg if the government was looking to ban under-16s from Vinted and eBay, Nandy said: "We are looking seriously at doing so in order to keep children safe."

It came after the Sunday Times reported that the UK's social media ban was being expanded to include the platforms, which are popular for selling second-hand goods.

The newspaper said the move was over fears that messaging functions allowed strangers to groom children. It suggested similar reselling platforms, Depop and Facebook Marketplace, would also be included in the list of banned sites.

Businesses and individuals sell a host of goods on eBay, which has been a major global player in the online reselling market for years. The platform states on its website that it currently requires all of its members to be over 18 years old because listings involve "entering into a contract".

Vinted also says its users need to be at least 18 years old. The site, which mostly sees users buy and sell unwanted clothes and other fashion items, has grown rapidly in recent times to reach 17 million UK users.

An eBay spokesperson said the company was "focused on providing a trusted and safe marketplace experience for our millions of customers".

"While the details of the proposed legislation are not yet clear, we look forward to understanding more and continuing to work constructively with the government," they added in a statement.

The government announced it would ban under-16s accessing social media in June this year, with children prevented from accessing 10 of the biggest platforms.

YouTube will also be banned for under-16s, but YouTube Kids - a version of the video-sharing app designed to be safe for children - will not be included.

A complete list of affected platforms has not yet been released, but the government said it would cover those "whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material".

That means platforms which have livestreaming or features that enable the potential for strangers to contact children will also be restricted, which includes gaming sites.

It does not mean that Roblox, the biggest gaming site in the UK for eight to 12-year-olds for example, will be banned for under-16s. However, certain features such as its chat function will be restricted.

The UK's ban comes after a similar one was introduced in Australia last year.

Many children there have found ways to get round it, but the UK has said it intends to take a tougher approach.

In recent weeks, attention has turned to how such a ban would be enforced.

Last month, the communications regulator Ofcom set out its recommendations for the most effective ways to identify which of the UK's millions of social media users are aged over 16.