UK proposes voluntary overnight social media curfew for older teens

The UK's Labour government has proposed a voluntary default lockout from midnight to 6am for 16- and 17-year-olds on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Addictive mechanisms like autoplay and infinite scrolling would also be deactivated by default. This follows a total social media ban for under-16s announced in June 2026 and set to take effect in 2027. The UK joins a global crackdown, after Australia enacted a world-first ban on social media for under-16s in December.