UK considers social media curfew as under-16 ban looms
The government is considering overnight curfews on social media and tighter restrictions on children’s access to AI chatbots as it prepares to launch what it describes as a “national conversation” on online safety.
From Monday, parents and young people will be invited to take part in a consultation exploring measures that could include an Australia-style ban on social media for under-16s, limits on addictive design features such as infinite scrolling and autoplay, and restrictions on emerging AI tools.
Tech secretary Liz Kendall said the aim was to ensure children could “thrive in an age of rapid technological change”.
“The path to a good life is a great childhood, one full of love, learning and play. That applies just as much to the online world as it does to the real one,” she said.
“We know parents everywhere are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having.”
The consultation, which closes on 26 May, will ask whether platforms should be required to disable features that encourage prolonged use late at night.
It will also discuss whether age limits should be introduced outright. Separate surveys will be tailored for adults and for children and teenagers.
Keir Starmer has been increasingly expected to back a ban in principle by the summer, even if enforcement proves imperfect.
One senior figure involved in the process said a ban would send “the clearest signal to the industry that we want them to do more to protect young people online”.
The move comes amid growing pressure from Labour backbenchers and campaigners who argue the Online Safety Act has not gone far enough.
Ban gathers international momentum
Australia introduced a social media ban for under-16s last year, galvanising supporters of similar policies in the UK.
Spain has since unveiled plans to raise its minimum age to 16 and impose stricter age-verification rules, while France, Denmark and Austria are considering comparable limits.
Back in Britain, more than 60 Labour MPs have urged the Prime Minister to act.
Fred Thomas, who organised a letter calling for a ban, said: “Every day that goes by with children being harmed is one we will regret. Bold, confident action is required.”
Child protection charities have broadly welcomed the scope of the consultation.
Chris Sherwood, chief executive of the NSPCC, said the “status quo is not working”, and called for tech companies to be forced to keep under-13s off social media and to remove “design tricks which keep young people addicted”.
The Molly Rose Foundation, set up after the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell, has also pressed platforms to address recommendation algorithms that amplify harmful content, warning that parental alerts alone are insufficient.
Alongside the consultation, ministers are preparing powers that would allow changes to be made more swiftly than through a full parliamentary process/