UK Launches Teen Social Media Restriction Pilot

The UK government has launched a six-week pilot program involving 300 teenagers aged 13 to 17 across the country to test the effects of social media restrictions, including bans, time limits and overnight curfews, on their daily lives.

The initiative, led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, divides participating families into four groups. One group will use parental controls to block access to major social media apps such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, simulating a full ban. Another will limit usage to one hour per day on those platforms. A third group will enforce a curfew blocking access from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., while the fourth serves as a control with no changes to current habits. Researchers will evaluate impacts on school performance, sleep quality and family interactions through interviews with families at the start and end of the trial. Officials also plan to assess practical challenges, such as setting up controls or teenagers finding ways to bypass them.

The pilot comes amid a public consultation on potential regulations for children's social media access, launched in early March and set to close on May 26. It has received nearly 30,000...