Midnight social media curfew proposed for UK teens aged 16 and 17

Older teenagers in the UK will face an overnight social media curfew, the government has announced - though they will be able to opt out of it by changing their account settings.

It would mean apps such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube being set to be unavailable by default to 16 and 17-year-olds between midnight and 06:00, Caliber.Az reports, citing the BBC.

The government also wants "addictive" features such as auto-play and infinite scroll to be set to be disabled, saying - combined with the curfew - the measures will improve teenagers' focus, sleep quality and family life.

The new plans follow the announcement in June that under-16s in the UK would be banned entirely from a range of platforms.

It adds to a complex - and potentially confusing - mix of policies and measures from the government and tech firms intended to keep young people safe online.

They include optional parental controls over children's devices and child-only versions of popular sites such as YouTube.

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has previously said it wants age verification to be handled by manufacturers of devices themselves, rather than the onus being entirely on platforms.

Apple recently introduced such "device level" age checks, meaning anyone using iPhone and iPads with the latest version of their operating software will be asked to verify their ages.

The government said further measures would be aimed at helping children use AI chatbots safely - including by making providers introduce regular breaks for under-18s.

It said it aims to present its proposed measures to Parliament by the end of 2026, with the goal of bringing them into force alongside its social media ban for under-16s next spring.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov