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July 15, 2026
News

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

O

lder 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.

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.

However, campaigners such as Ellen Roome, who believes her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney died in an online challenge gone wrong in 2022, does not think the plan goes far enough as teenagers can switch the setting off.

Read the full article on BBC.

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Cyberpsychology | Digital Wellbeing