Older teenagers in the UK will find their Instagram, TikTok and YouTube feeds cut off between midnight and 6am under a government plan announced on 14 July 2026 — but they will be able to switch the curfew off by changing their account settings.
The measure, which applies to 16 and 17-year-olds, also requires platforms to disable by default what the government calls “addictive” features such as auto-play and infinite scroll. Ministers say the combination will improve teenagers’ focus, sleep quality and family life. Online safety minister Kanishka Narayan defended the approach on BBC One’s Breakfast programme, describing it as part of a wider package.
“Government curfew for 16-17 year olds can be switched off, sparking backlash”
However, campaigners argue the opt-out makes the policy toothless. Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died in 2022 in what she believes was an online challenge gone wrong, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I just think it’s not good enough really just to have a product you can switch off, it’s a bit like offering a 17-year-old a bottle of alcohol and then moving it slightly out of arms reach, they can just drag it back in, I really wish they could go stronger and harder on these things.”
The new plan follows the June 2026 announcement that under-16s would be banned entirely from a range of platforms. The patchwork of policies — including optional parental controls and child-only versions of popular sites such as YouTube — has been described by critics as complex and potentially confusing.
Lorna Woods, professor of internet law at Essex University, told the BBC the measure appeared designed to address apprehensions from parents and child safety groups. “There have been concerns about the way services keep children and young people engaged on their phones for long periods, and that this can impact their sleep, amongst other effects,” she said.
Baroness Kidron, a long-time campaigner for safety and age assurance at the device level rather than the app level, was critical. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said it should not be about “banning children from tech” but “banning tech from putting toxic products in the hands of children”.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has previously said it wants age verification to be handled by device manufacturers, not platforms alone. Apple recently introduced such “device level” age checks on iPhones and iPads running the latest operating software, asking users to verify their ages. The government’s decision to rely on app-level settings rather than device-level controls has left some campaigners calling the package a “missed opportunity”.
