Politics
Social media curfew: Teens to face voluntary online restrictions under government plans
Key Points
Young people aged 16 and 17 will face a default overnight social media curfew, the UK government has announced. But teenagers in this age bracket will be able to opt out by changing their account settings. Under the proposals, apps such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube would be set to be unavailable by default to 16 and 17 year olds between midnight and 6 am.1Addictive features such as videos that automatically play one after another and feeds that continually serve up personalised content...
Young people aged 16 and 17 will face a default overnight social media curfew, the UK government has announced.But teenagers in this age bracket will be able to opt out by changing their account settings.Under the proposals, apps such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube would be set to be unavailable by default to 16 and 17 year olds between midnight and 6 am.1Addictive features such as videos that automatically play one after another and feeds that continually serve up personalised content will also be switched off by default for older teenagers.The first set of regulations on the social media restrictions will be laid before Parliament by the end of this year, with measures expected to come into force in spring 2027.The proposed changes follow the recent announcement of a ban on social media services for under 16s from spring next year.2The government said that the measures looked “to protect the...