Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleSir Keir Starmer's government is introducing new social media restrictions for 16 and 17-year-olds, including a voluntary overnight curfew between midnight and 6 am. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced that default settings will automatically disable addictive features like infinite scrolling and require breaks in AI chatbot use for this age group. These measures aim to protect older teenagers from harmful online features and follow a previously announced social media ban for under-16s, expected from next spring. A government pilot scheme involving families reported that overnight curfews helped improve sleep and concentration among participating teenagers. Critics, including the Conservative shadow education secretary and online safety organisations, have questioned the effectiveness of voluntary measures, advocating for stronger, mandatory changes to platform design. In fullStarmer to issue social media curfew for teenagers in bid to crack down on addictive scrollingMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
UK teenagers to face overnight social media curfew under new rules
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleSir Keir Starmer's government is introducing new social media restrictions for 16 and 17-year-olds, including a voluntary overnight curfew between midnight and 6 am. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced that default settings will automatically disable addictive features like infinite scrolling and require breaks in AI chatbot use for this age group. These measures aim to protect older teenagers from harmful online features and follow a previously announced social media ban for under-16s, expected from next spring. A government pilot scheme involving families reported that overnight curfews helped improve sleep and concentration among participating teenagers. Critics, including the Conservative shadow education secretary and online safety organisations, have questioned the effectiveness of voluntary measures, advocating for stronger, mandatory changes to platform design. In fullStarmer to issue social media curfew for teenagers in bid to crack down on addictive scrollingMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
