UK to impose overnight social media ban on teenagers 16 and 17, targeting addictive features

The British government has announced a so-called "social media curfew" for 16 and 17 year olds, blocking access to platforms such as Instagram and Facebook between midnight and 6 a.m. The move, reported by 36氪 and cna.com.tw, follows a previous ban on under-16s and is part of a broader push to curb adolescent exposure to addictive online features.

cna.com.tw英國宣布16至17歲青少年深夜社群媒體宵禁 午夜至清晨6時禁用

Under the new rules, platforms will be required to disable by default functions designed to keep users scrolling indefinitely. 36氪 reported that the government will also shut off features like auto-play video loops, which are intended to lure users into spending more time on the apps. The curfew and the default settings are expected to take effect in early 2027, according to cna.com.tw.

"批評人士指出，由於用戶仍可自行關閉這些設定，規範可能流於形式，且執行方式尚不明確."

Critics cited by cna.com.tw warned that the measures may be toothless because users can still manually override the defaults, and enforcement mechanisms remain vague. The same report noted that the government has not yet clarified how compliance will be monitored.

The UK government announced in June that it would follow Australia's lead and ban children under 16 from using a range of social media apps, as 36氪 reported. The latest curfew extends those restrictions to older teens during overnight hours, signaling an increasingly aggressive stance on youth screen time regulation.