Teenagers aged 16 and 17 across the UK will be subject to a new overnight social media curfew under government plans aimed at promoting healthier online habits.
The proposed measures would see popular platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, automatically restricting access between midnight and 6am for older teenagers. However, users would have the option to switch the curfew off by changing their account settings.
Alongside the overnight restrictions, the government is also proposing that features designed to encourage prolonged screen time, such as autoplay and infinite scrolling, should be disabled by default.
A government report published on Tuesday revealed that a trial involving 300 teenagers tested a range of potential online safety measures. The findings indicated that introducing an overnight social media curfew had a positive impact on young people’s sleep, supporting plans to include the measure in future proposals.
Ministers say the combined measures are intended to help improve young people’s sleep, concentration and overall family wellbeing by encouraging healthier use of social media.
The latest proposals come after the government announced in June that it intends to introduce a ban preventing under-16s from accessing a number of social media platforms.
The measures form part of a wider package of online safety initiatives being developed by both the government and technology companies to better protect children and young people online.
Existing safeguards already include optional parental controls for children’s devices, as well as child-focused versions of popular platforms such as YouTube, giving families more tools to manage online activity and create safer digital experiences.
The government has also outlined plans to introduce additional safeguards around the use of AI chatbots by children and young people. Proposed measures include requiring providers to build in regular break reminders for users under the age of 18 to encourage healthier use of the technology.
Ministers intend to present the new proposals to Parliament before the end of 2026, with the aim of introducing the measures alongside the planned social media restrictions for under-16s, which are expected to come into force next spring.
