UK weighs under-16 resale-marketplace ban over child safety risks

By Sophie Lindqvist

Ministers are considering an under-16 ban on online marketplaces, with regulations sent for cabinet sign-off this week and Nandy expected to present them to Parliament in December, the Sunday Times reported.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy separately said Sunday the government was “looking seriously” at extending the under-16 social-media ban to marketplaces. Her statement confirmed consideration, not adoption of a final rule.

The reported rules would cover Depop, eBay and Facebook Marketplace, where ministers fear private messaging functions have become a frontline for child exploitation. Vinted, which already sets a minimum age of 18, would also have to introduce strict age-verification gates.

What are young sellers encountering?

In June, Hannah listed her seven-year-old daughter’s pink swimming costume for sale on Vinted for £1. A user with a male handle asked whether the girl had worn it and then whether she was naked. Hannah asked him what he thought, then blocked the user and reported him to Vinted, calling the exchange disgusting and disturbing.

The sellers’ names have been changed.

The seller’s experience sits within a broader warning from the Children’s Society. It says some young resale-platform users increasingly receive requests for indecent photos in exchange for money or gifts, and some images of minors have been turned into AI-generated nude deepfakes without consent.

Other sellers have posted on TikTok and Reddit about buyers asking whether clothing would come with used underwear or making unsolicited sexual comments about their appearance, according to accounts that remain user testimony rather than platform-wide data.

Lucy began reselling pre-loved clothes on Depop at 15 and has encountered many unsettling interactions. Once, she listed an item for about £10; a buyer changed the price to £30 and told her, “If you include your pants I’ll pay more.” The exchange left her feeling awful, she said.

She later found that pictures taken when she was 17, used to advertise clothes, had been scraped from Depop and were circulating on Reddit. She said men had screenshotted the images and that the resurfaced collection extended to hundreds of girls.

About two years ago, she found stolen images of her old Vinted and Depop listings on Discord, manipulated with AI into fully nude deepfakes. She called the creation of AI porn deplorable and said it left her extremely upset.

Can age checks keep children out?

Vinted says minors can access the service only under an adult account holder’s supervision, while the platform has a minimum age of 18. Depop says users must be 13 or older to open an account and over 18 to use PayPal or Depop payments.

Ofcom found that 15% of eight-to-14-year-olds use Vinted each month, equal to three children in every 20. Another report says some children can bypass checks and access age-restricted online services, although it did not identify its size or publisher.

An under-16 cutoff would place Depop’s current 13-to-15 age band outside the service. No estimate was provided for the affected audience, seller reach or cost of age-verification, moderation and payment-compliance systems. A prohibition could also remove resale income from young people who use the services.

Karen Garland, head of policy at the Marie Collins Foundation, a charity supporting victims of technology-assisted child sexual exploitation, warned that a sweeping ban could exclude children from the internet entirely. She favors making online spaces safer by design and questions whether extending a ban is the best route overall.

Lucy, now 25, remains conflicted about the proposal. She called it a real shame because very young girls from different backgrounds may need the income. But she also acknowledged that selling clothes on Vinted could carry extremely dangerous consequences. She said she continued to find sexualized images of herself online after turning 18, so the risk did not end with childhood.

What do the platforms say?

• Vinted: It has zero tolerance for harmful or explicit content and uses dedicated moderation teams and detection tools. Confirmed violations can lead to permanent bans or referrals to relevant authorities.
• eBay: Its policies and safeguards encourage users to keep conversations on the platform, avoid sharing personal contact details and report suspicious or inappropriate behavior. The company says it takes action against violations identified by the platform or customers.
• Depop: Using or sharing another person’s images without permission violates its terms, whether the content appears on Depop or elsewhere. The company says robust policies, controls and processes protect users.

The platform statements describe safeguards, but no detection or enforcement figures were provided. If the proposal advances in December, its success will hinge on age checks that withstand bypass attempts and safeguards that curb private-message abuse without cutting off legitimate young sellers.