UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy Says Government Is Seriously Considering Barring Under-16s from Vinted and eBay
LONDON — The UK culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said on November 8 that the government is seriously considering adding the second-hand marketplaces Vinted and eBay to the list of platforms barred to children under 16, in order to keep children safe. Asked on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme whether the ban would be extended to the two sites, she said: "We are looking seriously at doing so in order to keep children safe."
The Sunday Times had reported that the under-16 social media ban is being widened to second-hand marketplaces because their messaging functions could allow strangers to contact and groom children, with Depop and Facebook Marketplace also expected to be included. Announced in June, the under-16 social media ban covers major platforms including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, is due to take effect in spring 2027, and the full list of in-scope platforms is to be published before Christmas.
Both marketplaces already set a minimum age of 18: eBay requires members to be adults, citing the contractual nature of its listings, while Vinted is aimed at over-18s but allows a parent or guardian to open a supervised account for a minor. Vinted had about 17 million UK customers last year. eBay told the BBC the details of the proposed legislation were not yet clear and that it looked forward to understanding more and continuing to work constructively with the government. Children's charities have warned that children in need of money are targeted on sites such as Vinted and Facebook Marketplace.
(Source: UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Source: UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：英国伦敦威斯敏斯特宫（议会大厦）（资料图）。Diliff 摄，CC BY-SA 2.5，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Palace of Westminster in London (file photo). By Diliff, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
