The United Kingdom announced in July 2026 that social media companies will be required to implement a default block on platform access for users aged 16 and 17 between midnight and 6 am. The measure, revealed by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT), is nonmandatory in practice — users will be able to turn it off — but it will be switched on by default.
The curfew is set to accompany a separate, total ban on social media access for children under 16, which is expected to come into force in spring 2027. Both measures build on the UK’s Online Safety Act, which already requires platforms hosting potentially harmful content to verify that users are 18 or older. The full set of social media regulations will be put to Parliament later in 2026 before taking effect in 2027.
Alongside the curfew, the government said “addictive” app features — including autoplay video queues and personalized content feeds — will be switched off by default for older teenagers, though users can override those settings as well. UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the measures are designed to “help young people get the sleep they need, focus on school and college, and spend more quality time with family and friends.”
DSIT also signaled plans for additional protections around artificial intelligence, including mandatory chatbot breaks for users under 18. Children are already set to be blocked from AI platforms that simulate romantic conversations. Regulators would be tasked with curbing services offering “dangerous, misleading, or unverified mental health advice,” with chatbots deemed a “serious threat” to young users potentially facing an outright ban.
The government cited broad public support for the measures, noting that about 9 in 10 UK parents back a legal minimum age for social media access. However, civil liberties organizations including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the ACLU, Amnesty International, and GLAAD have criticized age-gating as an oversimplified approach that could restrict access to sex education and LGBTQ resources that teens rely on.
Source: WIRED