Imagine a law that automatically locks you out of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube between midnight and 6am – unless you know the secret switch to turn it back on. That is the government's latest plan for 16- and 17-year-olds in the UK, and critics say it is less a crackdown than a suggestion.
Under proposals announced by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, social media platforms would be required to disable access for older teenagers by default during those overnight hours. The same rules would also switch off what the government calls "addictive" features such as auto-play and infinite scroll. The idea, as Kendall put it, is to help young people “get the sleep they need, focus on school and college, and spend more quality time with family and friends.”
“The UK government plans a default overnight social media curfew for 16-17 year olds, with opt-out options.”
The curfew follows an earlier announcement in June that under-16s would be banned entirely from a range of platforms. The government says its study found that overnight curfews are effective at improving sleep and concentration. But the opt-out clause – teenagers can simply change their account settings to bypass the restrictions – has drawn sharp criticism. Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott called the plan “a dog’s dinner”, adding: “Either they think 16 and 17-year-olds should be on social media or they don’t, but curfews they can simply switch off won’t achieve anything.”
For UK readers, the proposals could affect millions of teenagers and their families. Supporters hope the measures will reduce late-night doomscrolling and improve wellbeing. However, child safety charities have described the approach as “piecemeal”. Andy Burrows of the Molly Rose Foundation said the government had announced a social media ban “without a plan”. Meanwhile, Professor Sonia Livingstone of the London School of Economics warned that a curfew could harm vulnerable children by cutting off their access to support networks precisely when they might need them most.
The debate highlights a broader tension: how far should the state go to police teenagers’ online lives, especially when those teenagers can simply opt out? The government insists it is striking a balance, but for many the curfew looks more like a nudge than a ban.
Q: What is the proposed social media curfew for teenagers? Under government plans, 16- and 17-year-olds in the UK would have their social media accounts disabled by default between midnight and 6am. Apps such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube would be affected. Teenagers can opt out by changing their account settings.
Q: Why is the government proposing a curfew? The government says the curfew, combined with disabling features like auto-play and infinite scroll, will improve teenagers’ sleep, concentration and family life. It cites a government study that found overnight curfews effective for those outcomes.
Q: Can teenagers opt out of the curfew? Yes. The restrictions are set by default, but teenagers can turn them off in their account settings. Critics argue this makes the policy toothless, while supporters say it still provides a helpful nudge for many families.
What happens next? The government says it will aim to lay the new measures before parliament by the end of 2026, with the goal of having them take effect at the same time as the under-16 social media ban next spring. That timeline gives platforms, parents and teenagers plenty of time to debate whether a curfew you can switch off is really a curfew at all.
