The UK government has announced that older teenagers will face an overnight social media curfew, though the policy will include an opt-out mechanism allowing users to change their account settings. Under these proposed measures, platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube would be set to be unavailable by default for 16 and 17-year-olds between the hours of midnight and 06:00.
Beyond the curfew, the government intends to disable "addictive" features, specifically auto-play and infinite scroll, arguing that these combined interventions will improve teenagers' sleep quality, focus at school and college, and overall family life.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall emphasized the potential benefits of these rules, stating that they are crucial for helping young people build a happy, healthy, and fulfilling adult life. She noted that the government wants young people to enjoy the advantages of technology while having the necessary tools to thrive in the online world.
These proposals follow the government's announcement in June that children under 16 would be banned entirely from a range of social media platforms. The government aims to present these new measures to Parliament by the end of 2026, with the goal of having them take effect alongside the under-16 ban next spring.
The government also plans to introduce further measures aimed at ensuring children use AI chatbots safely, which would include requiring providers to implement regular breaks for users under 18. These policy decisions are informed by trials conducted in homes across the UK, where 300 teenagers participated in a study.
Participants had their social apps either disabled entirely, blocked overnight between 21:00 and 07:00, or capped at one hour of daily use.
A report published on Tuesday indicated that the curfew model yielded the most significant sleep benefits and fostered more communicative family evenings, while also being the most manageable option for parents to enforce.
However, the proposals have met with sharp criticism. Laura Trott, the Conservative shadow education secretary, described the plan as a "dog's dinner." She questioned the effectiveness of a curfew that teenagers can simply switch off, arguing that the government should take a clearer stance on whether they believe 16 and 17-year-olds should be on social media at all.
Other critics have dismissed the proposals as "piecemeal" and a "missed opportunity" for child safety. Some observers have also criticized Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, suggesting he is leaving office having announced a social media ban without a comprehensive plan, leaving his likely successor, Andy Burnham, to inherit a series of missed opportunities.
Expert opinion remains divided. Prof Sonia Livingstone, an expert in children's digital rights at the London School of Economics, warned that a curfew could inadvertently harm vulnerable children by limiting their access to support or comfort from trusted sources during the night. While she expressed support for curbing push notifications that wake children up, she cautioned against a blanket ban on access.
She added that she would be watching the policy delivery closely and pushing the regulator, Ofcom, to make full use of its powers to improve online safety.
Additionally, Pete Etchells, a professor of science communication at Bath Spa University, cautioned against over-relying on the government's small-scale study. He described it as only one part of a larger puzzle regarding how families navigate technology restrictions. The UK's approach follows similar moves in Australia, where social media bans for under-16s took effect in December.
Australia's restrictions have faced criticism for being ineffective, with many teens reporting they can still access banned sites, raising concerns about the feasibility of age checks in the UK.
Regarding concerns that children might use virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass age verification, the government stated that research it commissioned shows little evidence that VPNs are currently being used by many children to circumvent these checks.
