Older teenagers in the UK will face an overnight social media curfew under new government plans – but critics say the measure, which teenagers can opt out of, does not go far enough.
From midnight to 6am, apps such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube will be set to be unavailable by default for 16- and 17-year-olds. The government also wants “addictive” features like auto-play and infinite scroll disabled, arguing the combined measures will improve teenagers’ focus, sleep quality and family life.
“UK government proposes midnight-to-6am social media curfew for 16-17-year-olds, but teenagers can opt out, drawing criticism from campaigners.”
But campaigners including 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 curfew follows the government’s announcement in June that under-16s in the UK would be banned entirely from a range of platforms. The new policy adds to a mix of measures from the government and tech firms, including optional parental controls and child-only versions of sites such as YouTube.
Lorna Woods, professor of internet law at Essex University, told the BBC she felt 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 said it wants age verification handled by device manufacturers, not just platforms. Apple recently introduced “device level” age checks, meaning iPhone and iPad users with the latest software will be asked to verify their ages.
Baroness Kidron, a campaigner for safety measures at device level, was critical of the government’s approach. 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”.
Online safety minister Kanishka Narayan defended the action, saying on BBC One’s Breakfast programme that the combination of the curfew and other measures would help protect young people. However, the opt-out option leaves the policy’s effectiveness in question.