Britain Plans Social Media Curfew for Teenagers

The British government is proposing new measures to protect older teenagers from the potential harms of social media. Following a planned ban on social media for children under 16, the government announced that 16 and 17-year-olds would face a nightly curfew on social media platforms. Access to sites such as Instagram and Facebook would be restricted between midnight and 6 a.m.

In addition to the curfew, the government also intends to limit the use of AI chatbots through mandatory breaks for users under 18. Features designed to be addictive, like infinite scrolling on social media, would be deactivated by default for older teenagers. However, critics have raised concerns about the efficacy of these regulations, noting that users can still choose to re-enable these features.

Technology Minister Liz Kendall stated that the measures are intended to ensure young people get adequate sleep and have more time for family, friends, and studies. She emphasized that even at 16, when individuals gain more independence, they should still be protected from the most addictive online features that can negatively impact their well-being. The government is continuing to update details on these proposed regulations.

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Even if young people gain more independence at 16, they should still be protected from the most addictive online features that can negatively impact their well-being.