UK proposes voluntary overnight social media curfew for older teens

The latest authorities measurement aimed astatine curbing integer harm comes aft an under-16 societal media prohibition was announced past month.

The United Kingdom has projected an overnight societal media curfew for older teenagers arsenic portion of the government’s latest propulsion to support minors from integer harm, though users volition beryllium permitted to bypass the restrictions.

The Labour medication announced the plans connected Wednesday, outlining a six-hour default lockout from midnight to 6am for 16- and 17-year-olds connected platforms specified arsenic Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Under the proposal, highly engaging mechanisms, specified arsenic autoplay videos and infinite scrolling, would besides beryllium deactivated by default for this property radical to promote amended slumber and focus.

The inaugural follows a June announcement by outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who unveiled a broad prohibition connected societal media for children nether 16 slated to instrumentality effect successful 2027.

While the younger cohort faces a strict prohibition connected large networks, ministers chose a softer attack for older adolescents.

The UK’s restrictions bespeak a rapidly increasing planetary crackdown connected young people’s societal media access. Australia made waves successful December by enacting a world-first prohibition connected societal media for under-16s, which its authorities is already looking to tighten pursuing studies showing that galore teenagers easy bypass the restrictions.

The ban, which came into unit connected December 10, made Australia a planetary trial case for countries trying to curb children’s entree to societal media.

A teen holds her smartphone displaying the Instagram logo successful Brussels connected July 7, 2026 [Nicolas Tucat/AFP]

Defending the voluntary quality of the curfew, UK Secretary for Online Safety Kanishka Narayan rejected disapproval that teenagers would simply disable the restrictions. He told Sky News that the authorities wanted to debar outright bans for older teenagers, aiming alternatively for a “smooth slope” into adulthood.

“We privation to empower our teenagers,” Narayan said, citing information from a aviator strategy and erstwhile voluntary level trials wherever much than 90 percent of teenagers kept the restrictive default settings active.

“The grounds basal is clear, the information is precise clear, and I wouldn’t bash the disservice to teenagers of saying they’re each going to power it off.”

However, governmental opponents and kid information advocates expressed scepticism astir the policy’s efficacy.

Laura Trott, the acquisition spokesperson for the absorption Conservative Party, dismissed the plans arsenic illogical.

“Either they deliberation 16- and 17-year-olds should beryllium connected societal media oregon they don’t, but curfews they tin simply power disconnected won’t execute anything,” Trott said, according to the Associated Press quality agency.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, a salient UK children’s nonprofit, welcomed the development, but warned that it was a impermanent fix.

Chief enforcement Chris Sherwood cautioned that unless the authorities implements “further, stronger measures”, the argumentation volition enactment lone arsenic a “sticking plaster” that fails to code the profoundly addictive algorithms driving excessive surface time.

The proposals indispensable inactive beryllium formally legislated. Because they correspond immoderate of the last legislative steps of Starmer’s administration, the work of implementing them is expected to autumn to his anticipated successor, Andy Burnham.