Highlights

• Social media apps become unavailable by default between midnight and 6am for 16 and 17-year-olds under new UK proposals.
• Platforms block 4.7 million under-16 accounts in the first week of Australia's social media ban.
• The UK measures are expected to take effect by spring 2027.

The UK government is proposing a default overnight social media curfew for 16 and 17-year-olds, placing Britain within a growing group of countries rewriting the rules on how young people use online platforms.

Under plans announced by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 15 July, apps such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube become unavailable by default between midnight and 6am for older teenagers. Features designed to keep users scrolling, including auto-play and personalised content feeds, are also switched off as standard.

Teenagers can change these settings if they choose, and the measures are expected to take effect by spring 2027.

A Curfew Switched On by Default

The policy draws on a government-backed trial involving more than 300 UK families. Households test three different restrictions at home: removing social media apps entirely, blocking access overnight, and limiting each app to 15 minutes a day.

Overnight curfews prove the easiest restriction to enforce and deliver the strongest improvements in sleep quality. Young people taking part report going to bed earlier, feeling more rested, concentrating better at school and experiencing less stress. Families also report spending more time together face to face.

The trial reveals challenges as well. Some teenagers say they feel cut off from friends when they lose access to messaging platforms, while others simply move to apps that are not covered by the restrictions.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall says the measures help young people get the sleep they need, focus on school and college, and spend more time with family and friends. Online safety minister Kanishka Narayan argues that the combination of a curfew and limits on addictive features makes Britain one of the strongest regulators of technology companies in the world.

Building on the Under-16 Ban

The curfew extends a policy announced in June, when the government confirmed a ban on social media use for children under 16, expected to be in place by early 2027. That ban follows the model introduced in Australia, though the UK version goes further by also blocking livestreaming and contact with strangers for younger users.

Ministers describe the new measures as a way to prevent a cliff edge, where teenagers gain sudden access to the most addictive platform features on their 16th birthday. The government is also preparing safeguards for children using artificial intelligence chatbots, including encouraging regular breaks for users under 18.

An International Movement

The UK is not acting alone. Australia's Social Media Minimum Age law is already in force, and platforms including Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube block 4.7 million accounts in its first week, according to the country's online safety regulator. Companies face fines of up to A$49.5 million if they fail to keep under-16s off their services. Snapchat alone reports blocking or disabling 415,000 teenage accounts by the end of January.

France is moving in a similar direction, with MPs voting to support a social media ban for children under 15. Governments across Europe and beyond are watching the Australian experience closely as they consider rules of their own.

From Access to Design

What makes the UK approach distinctive is its focus on how platforms are built, not simply who can use them. By targeting auto-play, endless feeds and night-time access, the government is regulating design choices rather than relying on age limits alone.

Critics argue the measures do not go far enough. Because teenagers can switch the curfew off, campaigners including the Molly Rose Foundation say the protections risk being too easy to bypass. Bereaved parents make the same point, questioning whether an optional setting offers real protection. Others, including online safety campaigner Baroness Kidron, want safeguards applied at device level rather than app by app.

The proposals now move towards implementation, with platforms expected to comply by spring 2027. How many teenagers keep the default settings switched on will determine whether design-based regulation becomes the next stage of online safety policy, in Britain and elsewhere.

‍