Teenagers in the UK will face an overnight social media curfew from midnight to 6am under new government plans – but they will be able to opt out by changing their account settings, prompting critics to call the measure a “missed opportunity”.
The curfew, which applies to 16 and 17-year-olds, means platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube will be set to be unavailable by default during those hours. The government also wants “addictive” features like auto-play and infinite scroll to be disabled, saying the combination will improve teenagers’ focus, sleep quality and family life.
“UK proposes overnight social media curfew for 16-17 year olds, but teens can turn it off, drawing criticism.”
But Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died in an online challenge gone wrong in 2022, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the plan does not go far enough. “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,” she said. “I really wish they could go stronger and harder on these things.”
The announcement follows the government’s June decision to ban under-16s entirely from a range of platforms, adding to a patchwork of policies from the government and tech firms aimed at keeping young people safe online. Optional parental controls and child-only versions of popular sites such as YouTube already exist.
Lorna Woods, professor of internet law at Essex University, told the BBC the measure was designed to target 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.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has previously called for age verification to be handled by device manufacturers rather than platforms alone. Apple recently introduced “device level” age checks, meaning anyone using iPhones and iPads with the latest operating system will be asked to verify their ages.
Baroness Kidron, a long-time campaigner for safety measures at device rather than app level, told BBC Breakfast the government’s approach should not be about “banning children from tech” but “banning tech from putting toxic products in the hands of children”.
Online safety minister Kanishka Narayan defended the action, telling BBC One’s Breakfast programme that the combination of the curfew and limits on addictive features would help protect teenagers.
The curfew is default-on but switchable, leaving the government facing pressure from campaigners who want stricter – and inescapable – protections.
