Britain Plans to Impose Additional Restrictions on Teenagers' Use of Social Media Platforms

The British government has announced its intention to impose additional restrictions on the use of social media platforms by teenagers aged 16 and 17, following earlier measures that limited registration for younger users. In a statement, the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology confirmed that legislation would introduce an automatic nightly ban from midnight until 6 a.m. for users aged 16 and 17, targeting specific features commonly found in social media apps.

Specifically, features that encourage prolonged continuous browsing, such as auto-playing videos that play one after another, and content feeds that continuously serve personalized material tailored to individual users, will be disabled.

The statement added that a further set of measures would be introduced later to help children use AI-powered chatbots safely, including mandatory regular breaks for users under 18, thereby encouraging healthier online habits.

The British government previously introduced a bill prohibiting children under 16 from registering on social media platforms. However, the legislative text will not be presented to Parliament for approval until the end of this year, with expectations that it will come into force as binding law by the end of the first quarter of next year.

The government emphasizes that these measures aim to protect children from the risk of addiction to social media and online content in general, which experts say significantly impacts children’s cognitive and mental development, particularly during adolescence, leading to negative repercussions on academic performance and family relationships.