The government has declared that older teens in the UK will be subject to a nightly social media curfew; but, they can choose not to participate by modifying their account settings. It would entail making apps like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok inaccessible by default to 16 and 17-year-olds between midnight and 6:00.
In addition, the government wants “addictive” features like infinite scroll and auto-play to be blocked, claiming that these actions, along with the curfew, will enhance teens’ ability to concentrate, get a good night’s sleep, and interact with their families.
However, activists like Ellen Roome, who thinks her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney perished in a botched online challenge in 2022, say the approach falls short because kids may turn off the setting.”I really wish they could go stronger and harder on these things,” she said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. I just think it’s not good enough really just having a product you can switch off. It’s like offering a 17-year-old a bottle of alcohol and then moving it slightly out of arms reach, they can just drag it back in.
The news in June that under-16s in the UK would be completely prohibited from a number of platforms was followed by the latest measures. It contributes to a complicated and possibly perplexing array of laws and regulations from the government and internet companies meant to protect youth online.
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