The UK government on Wednesday unveiled plans to introduce a voluntary overnight social media curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds, marking its latest effort to curb the harmful effects of excessive online activity among young people.
As part of the proposed measures, platforms will also be required to disable, by default, features that encourage prolonged use, such as autoplay videos and endless content feeds, for older teenagers.
However, critics have raised doubts about the proposals’ effectiveness, noting that users can still manually override the default restrictions if they choose.
The announcement follows the government’s decision last month to introduce a ban for children under 16. Scheduled to take effect next spring, the ban is expected to apply to major platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, while messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal will remain exempt.
The latest proposals, among the final policy initiatives of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, will require parliamentary approval before becoming law. Political observers widely expect Starmer’s anticipated successor, Andy Burnham, to continue with the plans if he takes office.
Responding to concerns that teenagers could simply disable the optional curfew settings, UK Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan dismissed the criticism, arguing that it underestimates young people’s willingness to adopt healthier digital habits.
Narayan cited the findings of a recent pilot programme involving more than 300 teenagers and their parents across the UK, which found that overnight social media use fell significantly. The trial also reported improvements in participants’ sleep quality and ability to concentrate.
“In October, for example, some platforms introduced these defaults of this sort – 90%-plus teenagers said to us that they’ve maintained those defaults as well,” Narayan told Sky News.
“And so the evidence base is clear, the motivation is very clear, and I wouldn’t do the disservice to teenagers of saying they’re all going to switch it off,” he added.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), the UK’s leading children’s charity, welcomed the proposals, saying they represent progress toward making social media safer for young users. However, the organisation stressed that the measures alone would not be sufficient to fully address online harms.
“Unless they’re followed up with further, stronger measures, they will be a sticking plaster that fails to address the addictive design features which are driving high screentime and undermining children’s wellbeing,” said NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood.
In an earlier statement, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the measures 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”.
“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.”
Rachel de Souza, England’s Children’s Commissioner, also backed the initiative, describing it as a positive move. She said many teenagers want to reduce the amount of time they spend on social media but often struggle to do so without additional support.
“I want to know more about how the policies, such as a curfew, will be delivered and will be watching closely to make sure they are effective,” she said.
