The UK government has proposed a default overnight social media curfew for 16 and 17-year-olds, which would make apps such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube unavailable from midnight until 06:00 unless teenagers choose to switch the setting off. Ministers say the curfew, alongside default restrictions on features such as auto-play and infinite scroll, is meant to improve sleep, focus and family life. The proposal matters because it represents a further tightening of UK efforts to regulate young people’s online use, while also prompting debate over whether safeguards are meaningful if older teenagers can opt out.

The measure would apply to 16 and 17-year-olds and sits alongside a June announcement that under-16s would be banned from a range of platforms. Critics including campaigner Ellen Roome, whose son died after an online challenge in 2022, and Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott argued the plan does not go far enough because the curfew can be disabled, while Baroness Kidron said the emphasis should be on stopping harmful platform design rather than banning children from technology. The government says the rules, which would also cover so-called addictive design features and lead to extra protections around AI chatbots, will make the UK one of the toughest countries on tech regulation for young people.