UK Unveils Social Media Curfew for Older Teens

The UK government has unveiled a new set of rules designed to curb addictive late-night scrolling among older teenagers. Under the newly announced plans, 16 and 17-year-olds will face a default overnight social media curfew, alongside the automatic disabling of addictive app features like infinite scrolling.

While ministers argue that the measures will help safeguard the sleep and concentration of young people, critics have quickly slammed the policy, pointing out a major loophole: teenagers can simply turn the restrictions off with a few clicks.

The New Default Rules for Older Teens

The newly proposed measures targeted at 16 and 17-year-olds are designed to prevent a sharp drop-off in online safety when teenagers cross the threshold from childhood. They follow a landmark decision announced last month to ban social media entirely for children under 16 starting next spring.

To bridge this gap, the government plans to enforce the following default protections on major social media platforms:

Overnight Curfews: Accounts for 16 and 17-year-olds will automatically block access to platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube between midnight and 6:00 AM.
No More Endless Scrolling: "Addictive" features like infinite scroll, which serves up a continuous, endless feed of content, will be turned off by default.
No Autoplay: Video feeds will no longer automatically cue up and play the next video in sequence.
Generic Feeds: Personalization algorithms that target users with tailored feeds based on past behavior will be disabled.

Teenagers will, however, retain the ability to manually override these protections and restore adult settings if they choose.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall emphasized that the regulations strike an important balance between safety and growing independence:

"Our consultation provided a clear message from parents and teenagers alike - even as young people gain greater independence at 16, they should still be protected from the most addictive online features that can have a harmful impact on their wellbeing. These measures will 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. We want young people to enjoy the benefits of technology while having the tools to make the online world a place where they can thrive.”

Critics Call the Opt-Out "A Dog’s Dinner"

The opt-out option has drawn fierce criticism from political opponents and child safety campaigners, who argue that a voluntary barrier will do little to stop determined teenagers.

Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott labeled the policy a "dog's dinner", stating:

"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."

Campaigner Ellen Roome, who believes her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died in 2022 from an online challenge, expressed deep frustration with the voluntary design on 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," she told the BBC.

Similarly, Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, warned that the policy was "yet another piecemeal set of announcements, not the comprehensive plan for children's safety that's required."

Risks of Isolation and Technical Challenges

Academics have also raised concerns that cutting off communication channels overnight could backfire for vulnerable youth. Professor Sonia Livingstone, an expert in children's digital rights at the London School of Economics, pointed out the potential unintended consequences of a hard curfew:

"If it's a curfew on companies using push notifications to wake someone up in the night, absolutely have a curfew," Prof Livingstone told the BBC. "But if it's a curfew that prevents a child in need of support or help or comfort reaching out to trusted sources in the middle of the night, I think that's quite harmful potentially."

There are also doubts regarding how tech companies will actually police these rules. Industry experts warn that enforcing a tiered system, where under-16s are banned, 16 and 17-year-olds face curfews, and adults have full access, will require highly robust and complex age-verification tools.

Additionally, the government confirmed that it will not restrict the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which are often used to bypass age walls, referencing their importance for whistleblowers, minority groups, and family privacy.

Safer AI and Media Literacy in Schools

Beyond social media, the government’s new package includes strict rules to ensure children can use artificial intelligence safely:

Chatbot Breaks: Under-18s using AI chatbots will face mandatory, scheduled breaks to prevent over-reliance.
Mental Health Advice Ban: Regulators will crack down on AI chatbots that provide "dangerous, misleading or unverified mental health advice," with ministers considering outright bans on services that pose a serious threat to minors.
Curriculum Updates: Media literacy classes will be expanded starting in September to teach kids how to identify misinformation, violent or misogynistic content, and tech bias.

The government plans to table these legislative proposals by the end of 2026, with the goal of passing them in time to launch alongside the under-16 social media ban next spring.