Vinted and eBay could be brought within Britain’s planned social media ban for under-16s, extending restrictions beyond social networks to online shopping services with messaging functions.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said ministers were “looking seriously” at including the marketplaces “in order to keep children safe”. Their inclusion has not been confirmed, and the complete list of affected platforms remains unpublished.

The proposed expansion follows reported concerns that strangers could use marketplace messaging to groom children. Depop and Facebook Marketplace have also been reported as possible additions.

The distinction matters: ministers are considering restrictions based on how services allow people to interact, rather than simply whether they describe themselves as social media.

Announced in June this year and due to take effect in March next year, the ban will prevent under-16s accessing 10 of the biggest platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. YouTube will be covered, but YouTube Kids will remain available. Gaming services face restrictions on particular features: Roblox, the UK’s biggest gaming site among eight-to-12-year-olds, will not be banned outright, but its chat function will be restricted.

The marketplaces already have different age rules. eBay requires members to be over 18 because listings involve entering into a contract. Vinted, which has grown to 17 million UK users, is aimed at over-18s but allows parents or guardians to create accounts for children under parental supervision.

Vinted said messaging was integral to its service and that moderation teams and tools detected and removed rule-breaking activity. It said it had zero tolerance for harmful or explicit content, with sanctions including permanent bans and reports to authorities, and welcomed dialogue with ministers and the regulator.

eBay said it sought a trusted, safe marketplace and would work constructively with the government, while noting that the legislative details remained unclear.

Matthew Sinclair, a senior director at the Computer and Communications Industry Association, which represents technology companies, warned against “scope creep”. Messaging restrictions, he argued, could reach services families depend on to stay in touch; measures should be proportionate and effective.

Enforcement remains a separate challenge. Many children have circumvented Australia’s ban, introduced last year; Britain promises a tougher approach. Ofcom published recommendations last month on identifying users aged over 16.

Rani Govender, the NSPCC’s head of online child safety, said effective age checks were essential but insufficient. Companies must also build child safety into platforms, devices and artificial intelligence tools, she argued, protecting children from harmful and illegal content and limiting access to age-appropriate services.