The UK government has taken an unprecedented step and is preparing a radical “curfew” on social media, which will forcibly leave millions of teenagers without access to their favorite apps after midnight.
Instagram and TikTok will be blocked for teenagers during night hours / © Credits
British authorities plan to oblige social networks to automatically block access to their platforms at night for users aged 16 and 17. Such radical measures are aimed at wean young people off smartphone screens and allow them to get enough sleep and focus on their studies.
This is reported by Reuters.
How the virtual curfew will work
According to the new government plan, popular apps will be automatically blocked for older teenagers between midnight and 6 am. In addition, platforms will be forced to disable special algorithms and features that compel users to endlessly scroll through feeds by default. This move is a logical continuation of the government’s policy after the UK announced a complete ban on social media for children under 16 a month ago.
However, these restrictions will not be absolute: teenagers will have the technical possibility to change the settings and disable this mode if they wish. It is precisely because of this loophole that the opposition Conservative Party has already criticized the initiative. In its opinion, a curfew that can be easily canceled with the press of a button will not yield any results.
Ultimatum for tech giants and launch deadlines
Minister for Online Safety, Kanishka Narayan, emphasized that technology companies will be legally obligated to implement these restrictions and conduct strict age verification of users. Extremely severe regulatory sanctions await market players who ignore the new rules. Currently, the owners of Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have not commented on the government’s intentions in any way.
The first package of relevant regulations will be submitted for consideration by the British Parliament by the end of the current year. It is expected that all planned measures will officially come into effect in the spring of 2027.
“These measures will be crucial in helping young people get the sleep they need, focus on school and college, and spend more quality time with family and friends,” summarized Minister of Technology Liz Kendall.
Recall that British cybersecurity experts criticized the government’s plan for a complete ban on social networks for teenagers under 16. Specialists warned of negative consequences, including a high risk of confidential data leakage.
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