Last month, the UK government took an audacious step, unveiling a plan to ban social media apps for children under 16. The move was announced by Keir Starmer and has drawn broad support in Parliament, amid growing worries about how social media affects young people.
As an extension of this, the government is now looking at stopping 16- and 17-year-olds from using platforms like, X formerly known as Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube between midnight and 6 a.m. The idea behind this curfew is simple: make sure teens actually get some sleep and cut down on late-night scrolling. These measures are expected to roll out by spring 2027. On top of that, the government wants to kill off features like infinite scroll and autoplay, the stuff specifically designed to keep people glued to their screens.
What does it mean for teenagers?
Other countries have already been sounding the alarm on young people and social media, and now the UK is joining that list; alongside Australia, Indonesia, Brazil, the UAE, and others.
The government’s reasoning: excessive social media use can hurt focus and concentration and take a toll on mental health. There’s also a general consensus that it can interfere with brain development. So these steps are ultimately aimed at protecting young people’s mental health and overall wellbeing.
But maybe more importantly, the government wants to stop young people from being contacted by strangers online, the kind of contact that can pull them toward drugs or other harmful behavior.
Apple has already gotten ahead of this, as it rolled out an update a few months back which requires age verification for UK users trying to access certain services. Once verified as underage, users get service and web filters switched on automatically.
Critics say more needs to be done
Some experts aren’t convinced the ban will actually work. Kids can just turn off the child settings and get full access anyway. They argue what’s really needed is a much more comprehensive enforcement policy.
Countries like Australia and the UAE offer a preview of what could go wrong: both are dealing with a VPN epidemic, with people simply using VPNs to mask their location and dodge the restrictions entirely.
To actually make this work, and to close the loopholes, the UK will likely need a far more robust policy, plus real cooperation from tech giants like Apple and Google, who are better positioned to build clever, enforceable solutions for young users.
This story was originally published by Men’s Journal on Jul 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the Health section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
