Britain will introduce a default overnight curfew on social media apps for 16- and 17-year-olds, the government announced, adding new limits for older teenagers to its broader plan to restrict social media use for under-16s.
Under the proposal, affected users would be blocked from accessing apps between midnight and 6 a.m. unless they actively change the default setting. Features designed to encourage prolonged use — such as videos that autoplay one after another — would also be turned off by default.
Officials say the measures aim to avoid a sharp “cliff edge” when young people gain access to social media at 16 and to reduce the harms of late-night scrolling, helping teens get more sleep, focus on school and spend quality time with family and friends, according to technology minister Liz Kendall.
A recently published study cited by the government found that restrictions produced improvements in sleep, concentration and wellbeing, and that an overnight curfew was the simplest step for families to maintain and the most consistent in delivering sleep benefits.
The first set of regulations will be laid before parliament by the end of this year, with the government saying the rules are expected to come into force in spring 2027 and promising robust implementation and enforcement.
However, experts warn implementation is not straightforward. A team that advised Australia — the first country to ban social media for children — reported that online platforms struggled with age-verification checks, undermining that country’s ban. Separately, Google and TikTok recently reached settlements in a U.S. lawsuit brought by a minor who said social media harmed his mental health.
The U.K. move reflects growing global concern among parents and policymakers about protecting young people’s mental and physical health as regulators weigh how to balance access and safety online.