Teens aged 16 and 17 in Britain are set to be blocked from social media by default midnight through 6 a.m. under new proposed online safety regulations, but will be easily able switch it back on again. File photo by Sascha Steinbach/EPA-EFE
July 15 (UPI) -- Britain announced plans Wednesday for a midnight social media curfew for older teens aimed at preventing them from staying up late into the night on apps such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, with the new measures expected to take effect in Spring 2027.
Targeted at 16- and 17-year-olds and following on from a full social media ban for children younger than 16 announced in June, the package of measures calls for a 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. curfew to be set by default within the apps and that other "addictive features" such as autoplay and customized feeds be automatically disabled, the government said in a news release.
However, unlike the total ban for under-16s, restrictions on the older teens will be discretionary, meaning they will be able to override them, or turn features back on again, at will.
The Science, Technology and Innovation Department said the move was designed to ease young people's transition into the online world and ensure there was "no cliff edge" when the full social media restrictions they will have been under, in some cases for their entire life, were suddenly lifted when they turn 16.
