UK announces overnight social media curfew for older teens

Sixteen- and 17-year-olds in the UK will face a default overnight social media curfew, the government has announced, as part of a wider crackdown on platforms that critics say is easily bypassed. The curfew, which applies from midnight until dawn, is set to be automatically enabled on accounts for older teenagers – but users can opt out by changing their settings. The government also wants features such as auto-play and infinite scroll disabled by default, arguing the combined measures will improve sleep, concentration and family life. It follows the announcement in June that under-16s would be banned entirely from a range of platforms. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the curfew and feature restrictions would be “crucial in helping young people get the sleep they need, focus on school and college, and spend more quality time with family and friends, all of which are fundamental to building a happy, healthy and fulfilling adult life”. But critics were quick to point out that the opt-out option undermines the policy. “Makes no sense,” one technology commentator said, noting that the settings can be turned off. The plan is part of a broader government push to regulate social media use among minors, though the effectiveness of a default curfew that can be switched off remains uncertain.