Night out and scrolling bans are planned for the UK’s biggest teenagers

Older teenagers in the UK face an overnight social media curfew – although they can opt out by changing their account settings, the government has announced.

This means that apps like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are by default unavailable to 16 and 17-year-olds between midnight and 06:00.

The government also wants “addictive” features such as auto-play and endless scrolling to be disabled, saying that – combined with the controls – the measures will improve teenagers’ focus, sleep quality and family life.

However, critics have described the proposals as “fragile” and a “missed opportunity” for child safety.

The plans follow The announcement in June In the UK, children under the age of 16 will be completely banned from various platforms.

“These steps will be critical to 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,” said Technology Secretary Liz Kendall.

“We want young people to take advantage of technology while having the tools to make the online world a place where they can thrive.”

Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott described the plans as a dog’s dinner.

“They either think 16- and 17-year-olds should be on social media or they don’t, but a curfew that they can easily turn off won’t do anything,” she says.

The government says further measures are to help children use AI chatbots safely – including introducing regular breaks for children under 18.

In the year He has said he aims to put the new measure before parliament by the end of 2026, which he aims to implement alongside a social media ban for children under 16 next spring.

But some child welfare charities and experts have cast doubt on the effectiveness of midnight curfews for older UK teenagers.

Andy Burroughs, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said: “While we welcome these measures for older teenagers, this latest step is not a comprehensive child welfare plan, but another piece of advertising.

He added that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer left office “by announcing an unplanned social media ban” – with his successor Andy Burnham “inheriting a series of missed opportunities”.

Meanwhile, Professor Sonia Livingstone, an expert on children’s digital rights at the London School of Economics, said curfews could harm vulnerable children by limiting their access to social media when they need it most.

Professor Livingston told the BBC: “If there’s a curfew on companies using push ads to wake someone up at night, absolutely put a curfew on them.”

But I think that can be very harmful if a curfew prevents a child who needs support or help or comfort from connecting with trusted sources in the middle of the night.