At midnight, the endless scroll could stop — but only if teenagers let it. The UK government has announced plans to impose an overnight social media curfew on 16- and 17-year-olds, alongside disabling "addictive" features such as auto-play and infinite scroll. But the curfew is not mandatory: teens can opt out by changing their account settings, leading critics to call it a "missed opportunity".
The proposal, announced in July 2026, would apply to platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. From spring 2027, these apps would be set by default to be unavailable to older teenagers between midnight and 6am. The government also wants platforms to turn off features designed to keep users glued to their screens, saying the combined measures will improve teenagers' focus, sleep quality, and family life.
“UK government proposes optional overnight social media curfew for 16-17 year olds to improve sleep, but critics say it's too weak.”
The curfew follows a June 2026 announcement that under-16s would be banned entirely from a range of social media platforms. It is part of a growing patchwork of policies — including optional parental controls and child-only versions of sites — intended to keep young people safe online. Lorna Woods, professor of internet law at Essex University, told the BBC the measure targets "concerns about the way services keep children and young people engaged on their phones for long periods", which can affect sleep and other aspects of wellbeing.
For UK readers, the proposal raises practical questions about how much control the government can — or should — exert over teenagers' digital lives. Parents may welcome an extra lever to limit late-night scrolling, but the opt-out nature means a determined teenager can bypass the block. Campaigners such as Ellen Roome, whose 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died in 2022 in what she believes was an online challenge gone wrong, told the BBC: "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." Teenagers themselves are sceptical. Harvey, 16, told the Guardian: "Having it as an opt-out renders the whole thing meaningless, because if someone is addicted to Instagram... they will turn it off." He also raised concerns about age verification potentially eroding anonymity. Meanwhile, Baroness Kidron, a long-time campaigner for child safety, told BBC Breakfast the focus should be on "banning tech from putting toxic products in the hands of children" rather than banning children from tech.
Q: When will the social media curfew start? A: The government plans to implement the curfew from spring 2027. The block on apps for 16- and 17-year-olds will be switched on by default between midnight and 6am, but teenagers can override it in their account settings.
Q: Can teenagers opt out of the curfew? A: Yes. The curfew is not mandatory — teenagers can change their account settings to opt out at any time. This has led critics to argue the measure is ineffective because it relies on voluntary compliance.
Q: Does the curfew apply to all social media? A: It applies to platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube — the same services that would be banned entirely for under-16s. The government also wants "addictive" features such as auto-play and infinite scroll to be disabled on these apps for all teenagers.
What happens next depends on how platforms respond. Tech companies like Meta have previously called for age verification to be handled by device manufacturers, rather than platforms alone. Apple has already introduced device-level age checks on its latest software. The government must also finalise the details of the curfew and the disabling of addictive features, with the Online Safety Act providing a legal backdrop. But with a general election potentially on the horizon — and the prime minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham reportedly scrapping plans for a national digital ID — the political landscape for tech regulation may shift. For now, the curfew is a headline-grabbing idea, but its real impact will depend on whether teenagers simply switch it off.