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

The British government announced on Tuesday that it would impose a midnight curfew on the use of social media by teenagers aged 16 and 17 between midnight and 6 AM. According to a UK government statement, features, intended to encourage users to spend more time browsing, will be disabled by default.

UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Liz Kendall said that while teenagers gain greater independence after turning 16, they should still be protected from the negative effects of highly addictive online features that can harm their physical and mental health.