Can streaming fill the gap when social media closes to kids? 

The UK is moving closer to restricting under-16s’ access to social media, following proposals highlighted by the BBC and echoing measures already enforced in Australia. While policymakers debate child safety and platform accountability, a different story is unfolding in the streaming industry, one that positions major entertainment platforms to absorb the fallout. 

Australia’s experience offers a preview of what happens when access is cut but demand persists. Millions of youth accounts were removed within weeks, yet the underlying behavior remained intact as young users continued to crave short, mobile-first video content while searching for new places to find it. 

Streaming is already moving into that gap 

Netflix, Disney+ and ESPN+ did not wait for social media bans to start building short-form, vertical video capabilities.  

ESPN+ has already embedded highlights and short-form clips as a core part of its experience, while Netflix and Disney+ have only recently announced and begun testing swipeable clips, vertical feeds and curated discovery features designed to reflect the engagement patterns that made TikTok and Instagram so compelling to younger audiences. 

Netflix introduced Fast Laughs, a vertical feed of comedy clips that feels native to mobile screens, while Disney+ rolled out shorts from its franchises and ESPN+ built highlight feeds that update constantly throughout the day.  

These features were initially framed as experiments to compete for attention at the margins, but a UK-level restriction changes the calculation entirely by transforming what were once nice-to-have features into essential infrastructure for capturing displaced youth attention. 

This shift reflects a deeper convergence already underway and one we identified as a defining trend shaping the subscription and bundle economy. The lines between social platforms and entertainment services are blurring, not because streamers are copying social media but because user expectations have collapsed the distinction. Discovery, scrolling, highlights and long-form viewing are increasingly experienced as part of the same journey, delivered within fewer trusted environments. 

When social platforms become off-limits for under-16s, these streaming features shift from experimental add-ons to strategic assets. The challenge for streamers has always been frequency, getting users to open the app daily rather than just when the next season drops, and short-form vertical video solves that problem by creating reasons to return constantly while building the kind of habitual engagement that social platforms have long monopolized. 

Increased frequency also changes the commercial surface area of streaming services. Short-form discovery creates new moments that sit between premium viewing sessions, moments that do not need to be monetized aggressively, but can be. For ad-supported tiers, these discovery layers introduce optional, low-friction placements that look more like sponsorship or contextual promotion than traditional ad breaks, without disrupting the core viewing experience. 

As social media becomes restricted, parents and regulators will look for alternatives they can trust and subscription streaming services already occupy that space. They are familiar, curated and perceived as safer than open social platforms where content moderation remains inconsistent and algorithmic feeds can spiral in unpredictable directions.  

Young users displaced from TikTok and Instagram will bring their content consumption habits with them, expecting endless scrolling, personalized recommendations and content that feels fresh every session. Streamers that have already built vertical, short-form discovery features are positioned to meet that demand without the regulatory scrutiny that follows social platforms. 

Inheriting time changes the rules 

The risk for streamers is mistaking format for strategy. Vertical video and endless feeds can absorb displaced attention in the short term, but retaining it requires more than replicating the social media experience inside a different app. Young audiences expect immediacy and relevance, and delivering that inside a subscription model with parental controls and age-appropriate content presents different challenges than what social platforms faced. 

Streamers that succeed will use short-form video as an entry point rather than the entire experience. It becomes the daily habit layer that keeps users engaged between premium releases, creating touchpoints that make the service feel essential rather than optional. Combined with robust parental tools, transparent content policies and bundling partnerships with telcos or retailers for distribution, short-form features can help streamers turn inherited attention into long-term subscribers who age into their broader catalogue. 

Those that simply recreate the social media scroll without addressing trust and accountability will struggle to differentiate themselves and risk becoming the next target for regulation as governments refine their approach to protecting younger users online. 

Social media bans are framed as protective measures, but the market impact is a structural shift in where young audiences spend their time. Streamers that have invested in vertical, short-form video are positioned to absorb a significant portion of that displaced attention, not by outcompeting social platforms on their own terms but by offering a trusted alternative when those platforms are no longer available.  

The question is not whether this audience will find new platforms, but which platforms will be ready with the right mix of format, trust and staying power to keep them.