UK Tests Social Media Curfews, Time Caps for Teens

British teens are about to become test subjects in a government experiment on life with less scrolling. The UK's Department for Science, Innovation & Technology will run a six-week pilot study involving 300 teenagers, imposing different limits on social media use, after lawmakers rejected a nationwide under-16s ban, per CNBC. One group of parents will remove or disable selected apps using parental controls; another will cap popular platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat at one hour a day; a third will enforce a nighttime blackout from 9pm to 7am; a fourth group will face no restrictions. The trial feeds into a broader "digital wellbeing" review closing May 26 that has already garnered 30,000 responses from parents and children, per the BBC.

The move comes as regulators including Ofcom and the Information Commissioner's Office press tech firms for stronger age checks and protections for minors. Globally, Australia and Spain have already approved under-16 social media bans, and France is advancing its own under-15 rule. Though UK lawmakers rejected similar legislation earlier this month, the House of Lords is again pressing the majority government to ban under-16s from social media, per the BBC. Separately, a large UK study led by University of Cambridge researchers is tracking how reduced social media use affects teens' sleep, stress, body image, and health. All this unfolds in the wake of two US jury decisions this week holding Meta liable for negligence and failing to protect kids.