Social media ban and digital curfew to be trialled on UK teenagers

It's already in effect in Australia

The UK government will lead the test in which 300 teens will have their social apps disabled entirely, blocked overnight or capped to one hour's use.

In order to compare their experiences, some will also see no such changes at all.

This test will run alongside the government's consultation asking whether the UK should follow in Australia's footsteps.

In Australia, under-16s have been banned from using major social media services including Tiktok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads.

Their existing profiles were deactivated, while they cannot set up new accounts.

The ban, which is the first of its kind, has been watched closely by other countries.

Countries such as France, Spain and Indonesia also considering to emulate Australia's ban.

The trial in the UK was about “testing different options in the real world”, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said.

“These pilots will give us the evidence we need to take the next steps, informed by the experiences of families themselves”, she added.

In the trial, in order to assess its impact, children and parents involved will be interviewed before and after the pilot scheme.

The government’s consultation about banning social media for children, meanwhile, will continue to run until 26 May.