UK proposes social media curfew for older teens

Older teenagers in the United Kingdom could soon be banned from using social media between midnight and 6 am in a move the government says is aimed at keeping them safe.

The planned overnight social media curfew for 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds announced this week follows from a proposed total ban on social media for all under-16s, which the UK government announced last month.

Lawmakers will get the chance to discuss and amend both prohibitions later this year, and both could come into force in the spring.

But campaigners have complained that the overnight social media curfew could be nullified by users changing the settings on social media apps.

Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died in 2022 after apparently participating in an online challenge, said the fact that teenagers will be able to opt out means the curfew will not work as well as it should.

"I just think it's not good enough really just to have a product you can switch off," she said on BBC Radio 4's Today program. "It's a bit like offering a 17-year-old a bottle of alcohol and then moving it slightly out of arm's reach. They can just drag it back in. I really wish they could go stronger and harder on these things."

The government, however, has said the curfew will mean the vast majority of older teens will not access apps, including Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at night. And it said it will also push for legislation that requires "addictive" features on apps, such as auto-play and infinite scrolling, to be disabled for young people, with the aim of protecting their mental and physical health, and improving their focus, sleep quality, and family life.

Kanishka Narayan, the UK's undersecretary of state for AI and online safety, told the BBC the moves mean the UK will be at the forefront of online protection for young people.

"Britain is going to be the most robust place in the world when it comes to regulating" technology companies, he said.

Liz Kendall, the UK's secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, said the proposed new rules will help ensure "young people get the sleep they need, focus on school and college, and spend more quality time with family and friends, all of which are fundamental to building a happy, healthy, and fulfilling adult life".

But Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner for England, said it is clear young people do not want such bans.

"But they do want to be protected from addictive, infinite scrolling," she said. "I want to know more about how the policies, such as a curfew, will be delivered and will be watching closely to make sure they are effective."