Social media curfews to be enforced for older teens – but they can opt out

Default overnight curfews from midnight to 6am will be switched on for 16 and 17 year olds on social media apps like Instagram and TikTok as the government takes further action to protect the next generation online.

Features that can keep users scrolling for longer, 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.

Following the ban on social media services for under-16s from spring next year, the government says these measures will help ensure there is ‘no cliff edge’ in protections as young people move into their later teenage years.

The aim of the new protection is to strike a balance between giving older teenagers greater safeguards online and still allowing them to change their own settings to access social media overnight if they wish.

Mark Jones, online safety act expert and criminal partner from law firm Payne Hicks Beach, believes the government’s response feels like a ‘scattergun approach’.

“Restricting infinite scrolling overnight is only one small part of a much bigger picture,” he says. “Platforms also rely on push notifications, variable reward systems through likes and shares and other behavioural design techniques that encourage compulsive use and keep young people coming back.

“If these measures focus on limiting when 16 and 17 year olds can use social media, rather than requiring platforms to fundamentally change the way they design and promote content, they’re treating the symptoms rather than the cause. Restrictions often encourage workarounds, whether that’s VPNs, alternate accounts or other creative ways of bypassing them. 

“The real issue is platform accountability. Unless [the] government addresses the other addictive design features and the harmful content these algorithms continue to amplify, these reforms fall short of being a meaningful overhaul of online safety.”

The new measures follow a government pilot involving more than 300 teenagers and parents across the UK, with families reporting that overnight curfews helped improve sleep and concentration.

“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,” says Liz Kendall, technology secretary.

”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.” 

Alongside the new protections for social media, Kendall intends to bring forward a package of measures to help children use AI chatbots safely. 

These will include regular breaks for under-18s using chatbots and working with regulators and across government to address services that provide dangerous, misleading or unverified mental health advice.