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The British government announced plans for a voluntary overnight social media curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds on Wednesday, in its latest effort to reduce online harm among young people.
It said that features that can keep users scrolling for longer, such as videos that automatically play one after another, will also be switched off by default for older teenagers.
The measures are among the final initiatives of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government and will require legislation before they take effect.
The proposals are widely expected to be carried forward by his likely successor, Andy Burnham.
Critics questioned the effectiveness of the measures, arguing that teenagers would simply switch off the default settings.
UK Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan dismissed the suggestion, saying it was a “disservice” to teenagers.
“In October, for example, some platforms introduced these defaults of this sort – 90%-plus teenagers said to us that they’ve maintained those defaults as well,” he told Sky News citing a recent pilot program involving more than 300 teenagers and parents across the UK that saw social media usage drop dramatically overnight as well as helping improve sleep and concentration.
“And so the evidence base is clear, the motivation is very clear and I wouldn’t do the disservice to teenagers of saying they’re all going to switch it off.”
The NSPCC, the UK’s leading childrens’ charity, said the proposals will go some way to improving the experiences of young people on social media but that they will not be enough on their own.
“Unless they’re followed up with further, stronger measures they will be a sticking plaster that fails to address the addictive design features which are driving high screentime and undermining children’s wellbeing,” said NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood.
Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said the move was a “positive step” as young people want to try to cut down social media use but find it hard.
“I want to know more about how the policies, such as a curfew, will be delivered and will be watching closely to make sure they are effective,” she said.
Additional sources • AP